Wolfram's Tears
by chase3136
Summary: YuuRam. It all began the night Yuri heard Wolfram crying. Getting into bed that fateful night, Yuri was unprepared and, frankly, ill equipped to deal with the bombshell that he was confronted with when Wolfram rolled over and looked at him with huge and expectant, luminous green eyes. "Yuri. I love you." Three simple words of love that made it impossible for Yuri to ignore him...
1. The Prologue

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Prologue**

**I**t all began the night Yuri heard Wolfram crying. Actually, truthfully it started two years before when Yuri accidentally proposed to a beautiful Prince and then unsuccessfully attempted to ignore his sudden and overwhelming fiancé for the following two years and four months to this night. However, somewhere between all the adventures Yuri and Wolfram had experienced together, Yuri had a revelation.

He couldn't live without Wolfram.

He knew in his heart that Wolfram was very special to him and that he couldn't, didn't want to even imagine his life without Wolfram by his side. Of course, thanks to Bob he had a pretty good idea what it would be like. Yuri remembered his panic, waking up older and normal. It was only when his mom had brought the dying flowers of Shin Mazoku to his attention that it had suddenly hit him with the force of a tsunami. Yuri had never seen a Conrad-Stands-Upon-The-Earth die before, and the shock of a Beautiful Wolfram withered and lifeless had made him frantic to get back to Shin Mazoku, and to his Wolfram.

That was the moment when everything had become clear to him. His confusing loneliness, his loss of faith in everyone, being unable to pull his thoughts and emotions out of the dark place Sara had sent them. Looking back, Yuri realized for the first time that Wolfram had been _left behind_. Yuri remembered leaving Wolfram at Blood Pledge Castle, thinking that Wolfram would be safe there and where Yuri was going would be very dangerous. He also remembered thinking that he had to do this one thing on his own. Because it was Sara, and Yuri felt responsible somehow, as if Sara's behavior towards him was _his fault_.

However, everything had worked out in the end and Sara was a better person for it. And now Yuri knew better.

In Yuri's mind everything was so simple now. Wolfram was his light that he would wither and die without. Just as Conrad was his guiding-hand, the one he would be lost without. And Greta, his warm home away from home, his daughter whom he misses terribly whilst away from her and feels cold when he doesn't know where she is.

Wolfram was one of his precious people. And Yuri knew that he loved him.

However, getting into bed that fateful night one month later, Yuri was unprepared and, frankly, ill equipped to deal with the bombshell that he was confronted with when Wolfram rolled over and looked at him with huge and expectant, luminous green eyes.

"Yuri. I love you."

It was whispered on a shaky breath but Wolfram might as well have yelled it in Yuri's face for all the difference it made, as Yuri went hurtling to the carpeted floor. Yuri sat frozen in his awkward sprawl for a long, still moment, his mind a complete blank. Why was he so surprised? Well, Wolfram had always hinted of his feelings, sure. He had even made some grand declarations during that first year, but never had he said those three words together and so undeniably.

Three simple words of love that made it impossible for Yuri to ignore him.

Slowly, as if he was hesitant, Wolfram's blond head appeared over the edge of the giant bed they both shared. Yuri could do nothing but stare at the pale, beautiful face whilst green eyes stared down at him almost sadly, looking at a loss. Yuri's brain eventually caught up with him and he tore his gaze away, his heart clenching unpleasantly within his chest as he stumbled to his feet.

Wolfram didn't say anything more. There were no demands for Yuri to answer his declaration with one of his own. There were no indignant shouts of Yuri being a Wimp and a cheater because he had not answered. The bedchamber was silent, the kind of silence that caused Yuri to shiver uncomfortably. However, Yuri had no idea what to say to make it stop.

The sheets rustled when Wolfram slid back over onto his side of the bed. The left side. Yuri climbed under the covers and settled down on his back, staring intently up at the ceiling. The moon shone through the large windows opposite Wolfram's side of the bed. The fire Mazoku insisted that the curtains were _never_ drawn at night, since Wolfram couldn't sleep in total darkness and enjoyed waking to the sunlight poring over him. Yuri didn't mind it, and even kept his bedroom curtains open at night whilst on Earth, and alone. Somehow, it had become a comfort to him, much as Yuri suspected it was for Wolfram.

Wolfram had turned his back to Yuri and – for once, was keeping to his side of the bed. Yuri felt his gut twinge with nausea, knowing that his silence had gone on too long. He had to say something, and he had to say it _now_.

… But what could he say?

He could tell Wolfram that he loved him too, but that would only lead to a colossal misunderstanding. And Yuri didn't have the heart to explain that Wolfram was family to him, a very important person, his _most precious person_ but not in the way that Yuri thought – ok, he **knew** how Wolfram wanted him to love him.

Wolfram was beautiful, and Yuri had come to terms with his attraction to his friend. Nevertheless, that attraction was not sexual. Yuri loved Wolfram's golden hair, his cute face and his shunning green eyes. He loved his smile and his laugh even more for the rarity of them, and even the fire in his eyes when he was angry or jealous, or both. Yuri loved him with all his heart, but he didn't feel the need to jump his bones when he saw him naked in the bath, _thank goodness_. Nor did he feel the urge to touch Wolfram inappropriately or in any way that wasn't strictly friendly.

Sure, Yuri wanted to play with Wolfram's hair when it shone gold in the sunlight, and throw his arms around his shoulders when he was being defensive, and he sometimes felt the need to brush his fingers over Wolfram's full and pink lips when he smiled. Nevertheless, that was _purely_ platonic. What he felt for Wolfram was indefinable by any description other then it was love. It was somehow different from what Yuri felt towards Greta and Conrad, and yet it was completely different from the excitement Yuri experienced when seeing a pretty woman.

How could he explain that without hurting Wolfram even more?

That night, Yuri lay awake for hours before finally succumbing to sleep. His mind was a whirlpool of thoughts and feelings, distorting into memories and dreams that he would forget immediately upon waking.

When he awoke abruptly, he was disoriented to discover that the sun streaming onto his face was not the reason why. Seconds ticked by before the moonlit room provided him with the cause of his unscheduled wake-up when a broken sob hit the silence with the impact of a baseball against a glove. Yuri immediately stiffened. His insides turning to ice, not wanting to turn over and see Wolfram's beautiful tear streaked face.

Guilt overwhelmed him. This was_ his_ fault.

Yuri didn't know what _to do_. What could he do? Should he regret not ending the engagement right at the beginning? But then, Wolfram wouldn't have put up with him long enough for Yuri to get to know him. He would not have stuck by Yuri so fiercely, followed him on his adventures, protected him and given Yuri the precious gift of his companionship so freely. Wolfram would not have fallen in love with him.

It was so selfish, but Yuri cherished Wolfram's love, he really did, even if he couldn't return it like Wolfram hoped. Yuri loved Wolfram and he selfishly didn't want Wolfram to love anyone else.

The more Yuri thought about it the worse he felt. If he could make Wolfram happy then he would without fail, he truly believed that. But the problem was that Wolfram was a guy, and Yuri was pretty much certain that he was straight. He liked girls, and he wanted to get close to one of them like every sixteen-year-old guy does. He didn't feel that way about Wolfram, and he couldn't change that and, really, he didn't _want_ to. He liked their relationship (as complicated as it was) as it stands.

He was selfish, and he felt terrible, but that was the way it was.

Yuri didn't know how long he listened to Wolfram choking back clearly anguished cries, and each harsh gasp, each muffled sob stabbed at Yuri's gut like a steal blade. Nevertheless, he forced himself to listen. Wolfram was suffering because of him, so Yuri would suffer alongside him.

When Wolfram finally quieted and soft snores replaced the heartbreaking sobs, Yuri sat up, careful not to wake his fitfully sleeping counterpart, and watched the steady rise and fall of Wolfram's pink negligee covered chest, taking comfort in the mundane function.

Wolfram's pale face was blotchy red, the skin around his nose and eyes were rubbed rosy with neglected tears still clinging to long, dark lashes, and his lips were just as puffy as his eyes. Yet, he was _still _beautiful. Yuri considered it impossible for Wolfram to be anything **but **beautiful. It was just part of who he was.

Yuri reached out a tentative hand and gently swiped the remaining tears from those think lashes, feeling them under his thumb like the silky bristles of one Wolfram's soft paintbrushes, whilst still clean and untried. Yuri thought that Wolfram would appreciate the resemblance when considering how much Wolfram loved his art, even if Yuri didn't share his enthusiasm.

Wolfram's cheeks were smooth and soft, and tremendously warm beneath the tips of Yuri's fingers. Wolfram murmured incoherently in his sleep and Yuri snatched his hand away as if burnt. His breath stilled in his throat as Wolfram stirred but then immediately settled down again without waking, and Yuri let out his breath slowly.

He did not want to have to explain why he was watching his fiancé sleep and gently caressing his face.

Yuri shook his dark head and turned to look out the window. The sun was almost up now and Yuri was wide-awake. He decided that he might as well get ready for when Conrad arrives to take him running.

He got up from the bed with care and moved over to his wardrobe, which he opened to reveal Wolfram's clothes attempting to push Yuri's through the oak wall and out of the immense, elegantly carved box. Yuri smiled at his battered clothing and wrenched out his running suit before closing the doors and leaving his clothes to fend for themselves.

Turning, he stripped out of his pajamas, which he'd had specially made just for him because there was no way he was going to wear the customary "nightshirt" that everyone here wore as nightclothes. Especially after getting an eye full of Wolfram's – ehem, _nightshirt_ that was definitely more a negligee then the customary nightwear even in Shin Mazoku terms.

Once dressed, Yuri sat on the edge of the bed to wait for Conrad's arrival. Looking over his shoulder Yuri couldn't help but run his eyes over the length of Wolfram, half-tucked beneath the covers whilst his left leg and torso had somehow fought free of their confines, and Wolfram's right shoulder was attempting to do the same with the infamous negligee. Then Yuri turned his eyes away, suddenly very interested in the royal blue carpet beneath his "running shoes".

There was a slight burning in his cheeks but Yuri ignored it, as he was wont to do. He was attracted to Wolfram. He knew and accepted that.

However, nothing had _really_ changed.

* * *

**Next chapter: Time Skip and Yuri's resolve begins to crumble...**


	2. The Birthday

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Birthday**

**One Year and Two Months Later**

**Y**uri walked into the living room of his home on Earth, and smiled to himself at everyone gathered for his eighteenth birthday. He was promised a huge party in Shin Mazoku (by a floundering Gunter, of course) for when he got back and he couldn't wait! He'd just left Conrad politely helping his mom in the kitchen as she prepared dinner for everyone, having been shooed away on account that it was his birthday and he should be celebrating, not doing chores! Or so his mom had scolded him, anyway.

Shoma and Shori were having a celebratory glass of an expensive malt whisky whilst sitting up at the dinning table and waiting for their meal to arrive. They each raised their glasses to toast Yuri as he walked past them. He nodded and grinned jovially at their behaviour, being clearly well on their way to getting junk off their asses and it was barely six thirty!

In the living room, Murata was sitting on the edge of the couch with a consol in his hands playing a shooting game of Shori's with Wolfram, who was sitting on the floor far too close to the TV, his full attention on the zombies he was putting holes through on screen.

Yuri took a moment to study Wolfram and his short cropped, golden hair, his long, corded limbs, legs folded beneath him, and his elbows resting on ripped jean covered thighs. He was a marvel. As Yuri had grown, so had Wolfram and still they were the same height, and around about the same build. Although Yuri had noticed that, where his hips had gotten leaner and his chest broader, Wolfram had done the exact opposite.

It looked good on him. Yuri was a little confused about the differences in their bodies now, but he was sure of that much. Wolfram was still the most beautiful person Yuri had ever seen and Yuri wasn't in the least surprised by that.

"Wolfram." Yuri called to get his fiancé's attention. He got a grunt and a quick sideways glance in response before he was further ignored in favor of the violent game. Yuri scowled at the back of that golden head. "Wolfram. Don't sit so close to the TV you're going to hurt your eyes," he chastised with an exasperated sigh. This had become a thing and occurred as regularly as Yuri having to tell Conrad to call him by his name, although it wasn't nearly as cute.

Wolfram hit the pause button on the consol and then turned to give Yuri "The Look" and Yuri felt his pulse jump in response.

The Look had somehow come about over the past year, and had slowly but surely replaced more and more of Wolfram's violent outbursts and his incessant usage of the word Wimp in regard to Yuri. The Look consisted of Wolfram's dark green eyes narrowing dangerously, his trim golden brows arching in reproach and his cute face setting into a blank mask. With no word at all Wolfram could now express exactly how annoyed he was with Yuri and just how wimpy he thought his idiot fiancé to be.

It was a dangerous weapon.

Without a word, Wolfram turned back to the gore-covered screen and un-paused the game, continuing to play. Yuri felt as if he had just run face-first into a glass wall and could hear Murata snickering quietly in the background. Yuri turned to glare at his so-called best friend and Murata just smirked at him looking rather regal with his shoulder-length, flyaway black hair. Yuri was unsure why Murata had suddenly decided to "grow out" his hair months ago and Murata was being suspiciously tight-lipped about it, but even Yuri had noticed the remarkable resemblance between Murata and his original past life as the legendary Double-Black Sage.

With a little more apprehension, Yuri turned back to Wolfram and took a risk. He had a weapon of his own. One he could call upon only once every year.

"_Come on_, Wolfram. It's my _birthday_, can't you just sit on the couch for once?" he whined and it was a dirty play but it was also _sure_ _to work_.

Wolfram paused the game again with a disgruntled sigh and then got to his feet. The shirt he wore was crisp-white and fitted to his slender form, unbuttoned at the collar (casual, for once). Yuri enjoyed the sight as Wolfram stalked over to the couch where Murata was patiently sitting, watching the cotton shirt-tails overlap the belt-loops of the faded, skinny blue jeans that hugged his strong legs and… errh!

Yuri tore his eyes away with great force. Unfortunately, his gaze then landed on Murata instead and Yuri did not appreciate the smugly amused look his best friend was giving him. Obviously, he had noticed Yuri's wondering eyes, and Yuri felt his cheeks burn even as he glared down at the Sage. This wasn't the first time Murata had caught him ogling Wolfram, and he seemed to make a habit of suddenly turning up whenever Yuri had a weak moment. _Which wasn't often!_ Although, he had to admit, if only to himself, that even he had caught himself at it more and more over the past year.

Murata never said a word. Like his fiancé, his best friend had somehow gained the peculiar ability to express exactly what he was thinking with his facial features alone. What? Had there been a class that he had missed or something?!

To say that this silent communication irked Yuri just a little would be a colossal understatement.

As Wolfram and Murata got back to shooting zombies, Yuri plopped down between them to watch. It was kind of scary just how good Wolfram's aim was, especially since he had been unfamiliar with this form of technology until he had bonded with Shori – rather suddenly as far as Yuri was concerned, over one of his perverted dating games whilst messing about on his laptop together. Yuri hadn't seen it, but he had heard all about it after he had been astonished and not a little disgruntled to come home from school one day, approximately ten Earth months ago, to find Wolfram kicking Shori's ass at the very game that Wolfram was now kicking Murata's butt at.

Yuri reminded himself never to let his volatile fiancé get hold of Bob's secretary's gun, and shuddered at the image of carnage.

He saw a lot of dismembered body parts and vivid blood splatters, and a surprising number of brains before Miko's voice announced that dinner was ready. Yuri wasn't sure he was hungry after that but Wolfram and Murata immediately dropped their consoles and raced to their perspective seats up at the dinning table, and Yuri sulkily followed at a much slower pace.

Yuri sat down next to Wolfram near the head of the table where Shoma was already seated. Shori had moved down the table to opposite Wolfram and made room for Miko, who bounced in her chair with excitement before leaning over to kiss her startled husband loudly on his left cheek. Yuri saw Wolfram smile hugely at Miko's behaviour and couldn't help smiling himself. Conrad placed the food on the table before taking his seat next to Wolfram, with Murata already seated and reaching for the mass of food piled in the middle of the table on the other side of Shori.

"Ooooh! My Yuu-chan is all grown up!" squealed Miko, with her arms pulled close to her body and her hands fluttering. "EIGHTEEN!" She exclaimed loudly and Yuri began to worry when he saw that her eyes were becoming misty.

Shori smirked on her left and Yuri sent him a suspicious glare. Shoma chortled beside him and Yuri turned to watch his dad mount food on his plate warily, until Shoma caught his gaze.

"Don't look so nervous, son." Shoma grinned warmly and not a little inebriated at Yuri's incredulous look. "You're a man now! My baby boy's a MAN!" he yelled in astonishment as if it had only just occurred to him, and Yuri groaned internally when he saw Wolfram straighten up with his green eyes wide and intent, from the corner of his eye. "There're many responsibilities a man has, Yuu-chan! Especially a married man! Not a little of those responsibilities cute Wolfram will appreciate! -"

"DAD!" Yuri shouted in horror, his face burning red. Murata choked on his mouthful down the table, and Shori, drunkenly flushed and puffing up like he was going to honor his baby brother with his own words of wisdom, looked to be about to continue what Shoma had started. Wolfram was also conspicuously pink in the cheeks whilst Conrad continued to eat as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Yuri felt like banging his head against the table.

Unluckily for Yuri, Miko somehow managed to beat Shori to the punch. "Oh! The Wedding! Now don't be mean Yuu-chan and make Wolf-chan wait much longer. We've already picked out the perfect dress, haven't we, Wolf-chan?" Miko eagerly turned to Wolfram as Yuri gaped at her in dubious outrage.

Wolfram startled a little beside him. "Y-yes, Mama." If possible, his porcelain cheeks became even pinker.

Miko clapped her hands giddily and then turned back to her still gaping son, her expression abruptly turning stern. "Don't you wait too long, Yuu-chan. As a man, you now have to take responsibility. And Mama won't approve of you living in sin for much longer."

Yuri groaned long and loud, burying his face in his hands and seriously contemplating the pros and cons of bursting into tears. He had been ambiguously avoiding this conversation for the past three years of his life, and he was just as ill prepared for it now as he was back then. He absolutely was **not** above crying in the hope of making it stop.

"Yuu-chan!" Shori yelled as if scandalized and Yuri refused to look up even an inch, however he did peek cautiously between his fingers to see his overprotective brother's red face scowling down at him. "Listen to Mama! And listen to Big Brother when he says that Yuu-chan needs to start acting like a man!" Yuri was terrified and disgusted when rivulets of tears suddenly streamed down his "Big Brother's" cheeks. "Yuu-chan… _'Sob'_… a Man! …_'sob'_. Don't worry Yuu-chan! Big Brother will tell you everything there is to know!" Yuri's head shot up as Shori banged his fist against the table with his announcement, and he stared into his over-emotional brother's black eyes as he declared with zeal, "I will educate my cute baby brother in the ways of men. I will not let Yuu-chan become a wimpy man!"

"HEY!" Yuri shouted, startled and angry. Only one person ever called him that, and only one person could get away with it.

"I told you that I can't have a wimp for a husband, Yuri." Wolfram reminded in a tone that was both amused and verging on stern. Yuri glanced at him sideways, irritated but then Wolfram met his gaze. Yuri was instantly lost within the boundless depths of every possible shade of green imaginable. It felt like forever since they had been this close whilst looking into each other's eyes, although that cannot be the truth… _right?_

"HA! My Yuu-chan a wimp? Not a chance!" Shoma laughed heartily. Yuri and Wolfram both blinked and looked down at their full plates before looking to Miko when she spoke.

"Yuu-chan's just shy. Uma-chan was a bit of a wimp when we met, weren't you, Winner?" she said sweetly whilst stroking Shoma's arm. He could only splutter in response.

Shori scoffed. "Since I'm the only brother not a wimp, it must have skipped a generation." He pronounced snootily. Yuri glared at him.

Murata laughed. "If that were true then Yuri wouldn't be a wimp either, but both of your children would be. Since you and your cute little brother are of the same generation, Big Brother of my friend." Shori turned to glare at him, opening his mouth to refute him no doubt but then Wolfram interrupted.

"I hope you're wrong about that passing down through the generations, I don't want my children to grow up as wimpy as Yuri." Wolfram said looking a little worried. Yuri stared at him.

"How is that EVER going to happen?!" he asked incredulously and Wolfram glared at him.

"Well, it's NEVER going to happen until you quit being such a Wimp!"

Yuri spluttered, "What is THAT supposed to mean?!"

Wolfram opened his mouth but Conrad's voice filled the void. "This tastes delicious, Mrs. Shibuya." he said with a charming smile.

Miko beamed at Conrad with twinkling eyes and giggled. "Please, call me Jennifer."

"Honey…" Shoma sighed, not really wanting to explain the confusing Miko-is-Jennifer concept again and whilst considerably drunk.

"Of course, Jennifer." Conrad humored her smoothly. "I would indulge myself more, however I believe that you mentioned a desert…?" he hinted.

"OH!" Miko stood abruptly, her chair skidding backwards as she clapped her hands together once, loudly. "CAKE!" she cried and then hurried out into the kitchen without further explanation or a backwards glance. Conrad politely excused himself from the table before heading into the kitchen to help. He paused to squeeze both Wolfram and Yuri's shoulders affectionately on his way and Yuri smiled alongside Wolfram, watching Conrad's retreat.

When Yuri turned back to the table, he eyed his father and brother suspiciously. "I thought I was a man? Isn't a man too old to have a birthday cake?"

"Nonsense!" Shoma yelled and clapped him hard on the back. Yuri tried not to wince. "What fun is getting older if you don't get cake?" he asked in disbelief.

"What are you saying?" Shori demanded with a wounded look. Yuri raised his eyebrows in a silent question. "Yuu-chan has seen Big Brother get a cake for his birthday every year as a man! What is Yuu-chan asking?!"

Yuri did wince at that. "Oh yeah. Ha ha. Right. Forget it then." he attempted to laugh it off whilst Shori sulked.

Deciding that it would be safer to avoid further conversation, Yuri stuffed as much food in his mouth as he could take so that he wouldn't have to talk again. As he filled his empty stomach, he noticed at the corner of his eye that Wolfram's nose was cutely wrinkled in disgust at his lack of manners. He swallowed painfully and straightened, feeling contrite at Wolfram's embarrassment. He had learnt the hard way that etiquette was very important to his fiancé. Wolfram just shook his head and silently took Yuri's plate away, placing it to the right of his own. Yuri was about to complain when Miko came back into the room with her arms laden with a huge birthday cake.

Everyone immediately started singing an out of tune chorus of _Happy Birthday_ _to Yuu-chan_, and Yuri promptly felt his cheeks burn. He was only momentarily distracted when Wolfram leaned over him to help Miko drop the heavily layered cake down gently on the cleared table in front of Yuri. He had never heard Wolfram sing before, not in the nearly four years that he had known and been engaged to him. He had a beautiful voice… and Yuri didn't know why he was so surprised.

The cake was rectangular with blue frosting and a huge icing picture of Yuri wearing his baseball gear getting ready to hit a home run. He remembered that day, that had been a good game. The flickering candles burning brightly were shaped into a crude one and eight.

It was perfect.

Yuri grinned when everyone trailed off the song with a round of clapping. "Don't forget to make a wish, Yuu-chan!" his mom beamed at him and Yuri paused for a second as he thought carefully. He looked around at everyone's smiling faces, their cheeks flushed with happiness for him and had no clue what to ask for that wasn't already here. Wolfram's smile was the brightest and he squeezed Yuri's arm almost shyly when their eyes met. Yuri gazed around the table again and caught Conrad's warm, brown eyes as he looked at him encouragingly and suddenly Yuri knew exactly what he would wish for.

He closed his eyes and wished. _"I wish for everyone I love to be life-long friends with happiness."_

He opened his eyes, took a deep breath and blew out all his candles in one to the wondrous sound of love within everyone's cheers.

* * *

**_About the TIME SKIP_**

**Full KKM! Series, Seasons 1, 2 & 3 = TWO YEARS AND THREE MONTHS Mazoku Time. (I'm _guessing_. NOT Official.) Plus ONE MONTH for my Prologue. **Only ONE YEAR past on Earth but that doesn't count because Yuri feels the time difference, and also in Season 3 Yuri gains the ability to arrive just minutes after he leaves each world, so there is no difference.

**SIX MONTHS ago in Season 3 was Yuri's 16th Birthday. FOUR MONTHS (with Prologue) plus EIGHT MONTHS is ONE YEAR. So, EIGHT MONTHS plus SIX MONTHS, and the TIME SKIP is ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS.**

**And if you want to know, that means that Yuri has been Maoh (and by consequence engaged to Wolfram) for THREE YEARS AND TEN MONTHS. Just TWO more MONTHS and it will be their FOURTH YEAR Anniversary. _hahaha._**

**_Ye_****, that was confusing but I hope I have it right(ish). Sorry to bring it up, it was bothering me, heh.**


	3. The Gift

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Gift**

"**P**RESENTS!" Miko announced loudly and then thrust a shiny silver box into Yuri's unsuspecting arms. Yuri fumbled slightly with his arms around the moderately flat, square box that was very nearly the width of his chest. It was incredibly light, and Yuri frowned at it in confusion for many seconds.

"I think you're supposed to open it, Wimp." Yuri turned his head to look at Wolfram seated beside him on the couch. Everyone gathered in the Sitting room with the TV switched off, each with variously shaped and colorfully wrapped gifts at the ready. Yuri warily eyed the flat and smallish rectangle concealed in bright blue paper within Shori's anticipating grasp.

Taking a deep breath, Yuri tugged at the bow of the big and shiny pink ribbon tied around the silver box his mom had generously given him, and prepared himself for the worst.

Miko clapped excitedly as Yuri removed the lid and peered inside. He blinked and instantly felt his cheeks burn.

"Ooooh! Isn't it cute, Yuu-chan?" Miko gushed, and grabbed the see-through scrape of material from under Yuri's frozen gaze by the lace spaghetti straps and held it up for everyone to see.

"Your mama chose it!" Shoma defended immediately, his cheeks almost as red as Yuri's. Murata snickered into his hand.

"Isn't your mama _cool_, Yuu-chan?!" Miko continued to babble whilst she presented her choice of gift to the room at large. "I was torn between the pink and blue, and then of course I remembered how cute Yuu-chan looks in blue!" She then reached back into the box and snatched up the matching blue, see-through and pointless thong that completed the set. Yuri remained frozen in horror. "Of course Wolf-chan will look _equally_ as cute! What do you think, Wolf-chan? We never got you anything for your engagement! But don't you think that this makes up for it? Honestly, it is for both your enjoyment! _Ne_, Wolf-chan?"

"… What's it for?" Yuri heard the confusion in Wolfram's voice and groaned aloud, closing his eyes to the nightmare that had just landed in his lap.

"Why it's _lingerie_, Wolf-chan!" Miko supplied loudly and without **shame**, and Yuri groaned again.

"Oh." Wolfram said. Then, "What's it for?"

Murata burst out laughing. Conrad smiled patiently and took a long sip of his malt whiskey. Shori looked just as confused as Wolfram, although probably for different reasons. At least Yuri hoped so. And, although Shoma's face was as red as Yuri's, he was smirking into his own whiskey glass.

"Wolf-chan!" Miko exclaimed as if he had said something scandalous and not the other way around. She turned to Conrad and demanded, "Doesn't Shin Mazoku _have _lingerie?!"

Conrad took another long sip from his glass before carefully placing it on a coaster on the coffee table in front of him. "No, Jennifer." He responded graciously. "I believe Mother has her nightdresses specially made with a similar… _ehem – _purpose. However, we do not use the word "lingerie". Wolfram, don't you remember what Mother told you when she had that negligee made for you?" Conrad turned to Wolfram with his patient smile.

Wolfram blinked twice as he remembered. "Oh." Then he blinked again only for his green eyes to became impossibly wide. "OH!" He gasped and his entire face and neck, and even his ears flooded a deep red. Yuri gawked at him.

"_THAT'S where that ridiculous thing came from__?!_" Yuri shouted. His skin felt all hot and itchy just thinking about what the Sexy ex-Queen Cecilie could have said to Wolfram to make him so red with the memory. Yet, Wolfram still wore that ridiculously obscene negligee _every night._ His head throbbed with the insinuation.

Wolfram gave him The Look as his glaring retort. However, Yuri discovered that it was not as effective when Wolfram was bright red and obviously embarrassed. Yuri very nearly smiled in response.

"You mean Wolfram wears that frilly pink nightgown to impress our Yuu-chan?!" Shori queried loudly, and Yuri's black eyes widened in alarm before narrowing in on his flustered and drunken brother.

"Since when have _you_ ever seen it?"

"Uh oh." Murata supplied needlessly. Shoma glanced at his wife looking worried, but Miko was too engrossed in refolding her _very thoughtful _present back neatly inside the box Yuri was now gripping firmly, his knuckles faintly white.

Shori looked startled by his baby brother's question. "Of _course_ I've seen it! I've seen it every night for the past eight months!"

Yuri's eyes widened towards his equally wide-eyed fiancé. "Is that _true_?!" he demanded a little breathlessly.

Wolfram visibly winced, his expression a mixture of resentment and hurt. "_Yes_, Yuri. I wake up sometimes and go _talk_ to Shori when he is around until I feel tired again. I do the same when he _isn't_ staying with us but I go and sit with _Greta _while she sleeps. So don't _insult _me by suggesting I've done something to dishonor you!" he sniffed, and glared.

"Well, then -" Yuri's thoughts stumbled for a moment so he took a deep breath to center himself. He didn't know why he was becoming so worked up about this anyway. "Why didn't you say something before? I didn't even notice, you always seem to fall asleep before me," he grumped. He handed the repackaged silver box still in his lap absentmindedly over to his mom. Miko just smiled and placed the box gently on the coffee table. "You could have _told me_ that you were having trouble sleeping." he insisted sullenly.

"I didn't want to trouble you, Wimp." Wolfram muttered, frowning with his cheeks still remarkably pink. "You've always got something else on your mind," he added in a tone that was verging on accusing.

Yuri slumped slightly, his back resting on the couch. He sighed. "Well, insomnia isn't healthy. Have you been to see Gisela about it?"

"No. He thinks it's not worth mentioning." Shori cut in. Yuri and Wolfram simultaneously turned to glare at him, causing Shori's drunken flush to pale considerably. It was in that moment that they both realised that they were the centre of attention in a room full of close friends and family, and were completely mortified that they'd momentarily forgotten that they had an audience. Again.

Miko looked around in confusion when Yuri and Wolfram fell silent in embarrassment. She leaned into Shoma, who immediately put his arm around her to bring her even closer. "Uma-chan? What happened? Did mama miss something?" she whispered loudly in his ear, and Wolfram shifted uncomfortably.

Shoma grimaced slightly and whispered back more quietly, "I'll tell you later. For now, let us leave it to the kids to sort out. Mama and papa would only get in the way." Miko looked at her husband carefully and then got a determined expression on her face.

She turned back to the quiet room and nodded sternly. "Hmn." she agreed, and Yuri let out a slow sigh of relief.

"My present's next, Shibuya!" Murata saved them from the uncomfortable silence that followed and Yuri eagerly received the small green covered gift, sending a glance to Wolfram to let him know that their conversation was adjourned, **not **forgotten and he got a glare in reply. Yuri immediately ripped into his friend's gift whilst avoiding everyone else's eyes, barely taking the time to notice the rolling panda wrapping-paper.

It was a Dairy.

"It's for keeping up with your busy schedule." Murata said with a grin as Yuri flipped through the leather-bound book, seeing dates and times all ready to fill-in. There was also a black fountain pen attracted to the side and Yuri grinned back at his friend. "A King should not rely on his advisers for everything, Shibuya. This should also considerably lessen Lord von Christ's stress levels, don't you agree Sir Weller?" The Sage looked slyly to Conrad, who nodded agreeably.

"It is troublesome for Gunter when his Majesty goes missing and there are other duties for Gunter to attend to."

Yuri grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks faintly pink with embarrassment. "Ha ha, that doesn't happen as often as it used to, ha." He defended awkwardly.

Miko gasped, "Yuu-chan! Are you taking advantage of Handsome Gunter?!" Yuri flinched away.

"No! Well – NO!" he stammered worriedly.

Shoma glanced at Yuri, disappointment in his eyes. "I thought you were being a great Maoh, Yuu-chan!" Yuri sweat-dropped and did not reply, feeling rather emasculated.

Wolfram sniffed and crossed his arms. "_Honestly._ You haven't changed. You're still a slacker King."

"I am not!"

"Mine's next, Yuri." Conrad redirected their attention as he pushed a black leather carryall, that had Yuri's Royal Insignia embroidered in gold thread on the closed flap across the coffee table. It was obvious that it had been expensive to make. Yuri stared at it, speechless. "Since your Majesty likes to venture out so much, I considered this a practical gift." Conrad explained with an anticipatory smile.

Yuri reached out to stroke the soft leather and grinned at the buttery feel. He eventually met Conrad's eyes, flushed with happiness. "Thank you, Conrad. I love it!"

Wolfram grumbled beside him. "I could have gotten you one if you'd mentioned it."

Yuri turned to his overtly jealous fiancé and patiently said, "It's not a present if I ask for it." To which Wolfram harrumphed with annoyance. Yuri simply placed his new satchel with his new Diary and the unfortunate silver box on the coffee table between him and Wolfram.

"Big Brother's present is next, Yuu-chan!" Shori announced with enthusiasm and an increased slur. Yuri silently prayed that Shinou would save him from another embarrassing "gift" from his family today. _Really_, the Original King _owed_ him.

With great reluctance, Yuri accepted the ominous flat rectangle concealed in bright blue wrapping paper, his lips turned up in a strained (and completely fake) smile. "Thank you, Shori." Yuri said prematurely to buy himself more time. His fingers hovering over the perfectly wrapped paper, the perfect ripping point taunting him.

"It's Big Brother, Yuu-chan! And don't thank me yet, open it!" Yuri's fake smile slipped a bit before he could stop it as sweat slid down the side of his face. He gulped. Wolfram hovered over his shoulder, having sensed Yuri's averseness and was curious as to why. Then Yuri bit his tongue, slammed his eyes shut and ripped.

Wolfram's gasp was thunderous within the breaths distance between his lips and Yuri's ear. Yuri's eyes snapped open and immediately dropped down into his lap. What was there was definitely the last thing Yuri had been expecting.

"The first volume of Sukisho! Can't Stop Loving You!" Wolfram squealed right beside Yuri's ear. Really, squealed.

"OW!" Yuri complained as he flinched away, but Wolfram was oblivious as he grabbed the DVD out of Yuri's slacked grasp to hold it before his sparkling eyes as if it was the most precious treasure that Shinou himself had bestowed to him.

"Do you like it?" asked Shori unnecessarily, sounding smug. Yuri glared at them both.

"HEY! It's supposed to be MY birthday! What are you doing getting presents for Wolfram, Shori?!" he demanded, his ears burning.

"Don't be so selfish, Yuu-chan!" Shori chastised with a smile, not even looking at him. He was looking at Wolfram cooing over _Yuri's "present"_. Right. NOW Yuri was becoming worked up. "It's for Wolfram as well as Yuu-chan."

"Since when do you even watch that anyway?!" Yuri turned on Wolfram since Shori was doing his best to ignore him. Wolfram paused in his cooing to blink at Yuri, confusion clouding the happiness in his huge green eyes. Yuri was almost sorry to put it there. Almost.

"Huh? I told you that when I wake up during the night, I talk to Shori. Shori watches this every Saturday night and I love the series, it's really short but TV Kanagawa does repeats. This is _great_ Yuri, now I can share this with you! You're going to love it!" Wolfram beamed at him and Yuri struggled to hold on to his outrage.

Looking back to Shori, Yuri managed it just fine.

"Yuri." Conrad cut in, and Yuri was grateful for the distraction. "Maybe now that Wolfram can watch his favorite anime whenever he wants, he won't need to sit up with Shori in the middle of the night," he offered seriously, and Shori stared at him as that realization settled in.

Yuri felt _a lot_ better. He smiled more genuinely and took the DVD case from Wolfram, "HEY!", and gazed at the cover with renewed interest. Wolfram pouted beside him.

"It doesn't look so bad." Yuri admitted slowly, eyeing the two characters standing very close together, the two _male_ characters, the tallest one having both his hands on each hip… although one hip was not his own. Yuri laughed nervously. "Haha… this is a Boy Love anime isn't it?"

Wolfram gave him a funny look and snatched the DVD back, "Of course it is, Wimp! As if I'd put up with anything less!"

"I don't even know what you mean by that." Yuri sulked.

"Huh? Has everyone given their presents to Yuu-chan?" Miko asked the room curiously.

Murata nodded. "I have, mama-san!" he grinned and flicked his flyaway hair over his shoulder. Conrad bowed his head to her and took another sip of his drink. Shori was still staring at Conrad, seemingly lost in his own slow-moving thoughts. Shoma grinned beside his wife when her inquiring eyes reached him.

"I think that's everyone, mama." Shoma confirmed and got to his feet, pulling Miko up with him. "Cake, everyone?" he offered and they all nodded their heads eagerly.

"CAKE!" Miko exclaimed and then ran off into the kitchen. Shoma watched her flutter off with a soft smile.

He then looked to Conrad and Shori. "More whiskey, gents?"

"No more for Shori." Conrad said firmly but not unkindly, and Shoma glanced at his eldest son and nodded slowly in agreement. "I'll join you in the kitchen." Conrad then insisted and got to his feet. Both men walked from the room, and again Yuri and Wolfram watched Conrad leave until he was out of sight.

Murata also unexpectedly got up and went to sit beside Shori, sending a wink to Yuri as he passed. "I was wondering whether you could tell me the secret to getting pass the zombie dogs in that wonderful Xbox game of yours, Big Brother of my Friend." Murata began conversationally, and Yuri could not shake the feeling that his friend was only doing it to distract his brother, but from what Yuri hadn't a clue.

Suddenly, Wolfram grasped Yuri's hand and yanked him up from his seat and out into the hall. Yuri was dizzy with how quickly he had been moved so it took him a long, spinning moment to realize that he was alone with his fiancé. Wolfram was pink faced and had his shoulders tucked up to his ears defensively. Yuri stared at him in bewilderment.

"What it is, Wolfram?" he questioned after a full minute had passed in awkward silence. Yuri shifted, feeling nervous.

Wolfram gulped audibly and then jabbed Yuri in the chest with a small velvet box. "Happy Birthday." Wolfram gasped out, not looking him in the eyes. Slowly, almost reluctantly Yuri took the box from Wolfram's trembling grasp and stared at it with apprehension.

It was obvious what was inside.

"It – it's tradition in Shin Mazoku to give your betrothed jewelry as a gift." Wolfram explained quietly, his head still bowed. His golden bangs shadowing his rosy face. Yuri said nothing, slowly opening the box.

Inside was a smooth, thick gold ring, encrusted with two small onyx and three sapphire stones. It was simply made but glaringly expensive, and Yuri caught his breath when he saw it.

"Mama – I mean, Miko-san, she told me that a ring was the customary gift one gives to their fiancé on Earth…" Wolfram met Yuri's eyes shyly, and Yuri could only stare into those expectant green eyes, his mind a complete blank. "She said that a ring represents my eternal love and commitment, as well as showing the world that you belong to someone… I would- I would like, for you to wear it, Yuri. For all those reasons… please."

Yuri did not know what to say. This was completely unexpected and yet, Yuri felt like it shouldn't have been. He licked his dry lips and carefully took out the ring. He hesitantly put the box on a vase-stand nearby and rolled the glinting gold between his thumb and forefinger. Inside, an inscription caught the light and he read, _"Be A Good King, Yuri."_

Yuri felt tears prickle his eyes. "Wolfram." he breathed, his heart thudding shallowly in his chest under the bruising skin where Wolfram had shoved the jewelry box. "I don't know what to say… Thank you."

Wolfram's cute face flooded bright red at the sentiment, and he began to stammer, as he was wont to do whenever he was confronted with Yuri's gratitude. "It – it was nothing! It's what's expected since you are my fiancé! No big deal!"

Yuri smiled, his heart feeling full to bursting. He knew that was a lie, this was a HUGE deal, but he just smiled and placed the ring on the expected finger. His ring finger. He felt a lump of indefinable emotion in his throat at the sight and weight of it on his left hand. It felt strange but not unpleasant, actually it felt kind of good, _right_even. And Wolfram looked so pleased that Yuri just knew that he had done something right for once. He felt really proud of himself seeing Wolfram practically glow with happiness and knowing that he was the cause.

Take_ that,_ Shori.

When Yuri walked back into the Sitting room behind Wolfram, both smiling to themselves, Yuri felt every eye zero in on his left hand which he held aloft, admiringly. Wolfram seemed oblivious to the stares, plopping down on the couch once again his mind seemly a million miles away in a very pleasant place, judging from the softly brilliant smile and his lightly flushed cheeks.

However, Yuri was very much conscious of the many eyes glued to his new ring. His own cheeks burned seeing his mom and dad looking excitedly from him to Wolfram and then to each other, huge smiles on their faces. And Shori was nodding to himself seriously, as if he had figured out something very important. Murata just grinned up at him from the other end of the couch, a glint in his dark eyes that Yuri avoided looking directly at after the first glance.

Conrad stood behind Wolfram, whiskey glass in hand, his expression the aptitude of parental love. Yuri smiled shyly back, and then wobbled his way across the Sitting room under everyone's watch, and took his seat between his fiancé and his best friend.

"Would you like some cake, Yuu-chan?" Miko asked loudly, with a huge smile and glittering, brown eyes. Yuri looked around again and realized that Murata, Shori and Shoma were distractedly eating fork-full's of blue frosted cake. Seeing this, Yuri's teeth began to ache with jealousy.

Wolfram straightened up immediately, his cute face eager. "I'll have some cake, Mama!" Miko beamed down at them both, her cheeks flushed with happiness.

"Ooooh. Of course, Wolf-chan! Mama will slice an extra big piece for you! Wolf-chan needs his energy after all!" Miko squealed and ran to the kitchen to fetch Wolfram's "extra big" slice of _Yuri's_ cake. Yuri pouted. And what was that about Wolfram needing his energy, anyway?

"Thank you, Mama!" Wolfram yelled after her, and then seeing Yuri pouting, he shrugged, settling back down smugly to wait for his promised treat. Yuri pouted harder and crossed his arms, feeling slightly snubbed.

"Nice ring you have there, Shibuya." Murata filled the void, as he was wont to do. Yuri glared at his smirking friend. Murata just shrugged unapologetically. "There was an elephant in the room," he said, as if that was excuse enough.

"It **is** a very nice ring." Shoma grinned. Shori continued to nod slowly. Yuri fiddled with his ring, his cheeks burning.

"It's Yuri's present from me!" Wolfram announced proudly. His large green eyes were twinkling dangerously when Yuri turned to him. Wolfram's smile was almost blinding. Yuri tried to remember if he had ever seen Wolfram smile like that. "It's a symbol of our eternal love!"

Yuri gave a nervous laugh, shifting awkwardly under everyone's eyes. "Ha ha, yeah. Something like that." he murmured, embarrassed and avoiding. Nobody seemed to hear him. Miko came back in the room with Wolfram's slice of _Yuri's_ birthday cake, which was as big as promised. Everyone began chatting at once when Miko squealed that she wanted to see the ring, and Yuri hesitantly stopped fiddling with it, suddenly realizing that he had been playing with the new addition to his left hand since he had sat down, and moved to take it off.

"Yuu-chan!" Miko gasped and Yuri immediately stilled. "You must **not** remove that ring until your wedding day! Has mama taught you nothing?!" Miko gave Yuri her impervious scowl, reserved for when her sons had done something verging on unforgiveable. Yuri's eyes widened and he looked hesitantly to Wolfram, who was intently nibbling on his acquired cake, his movements slow and deliberate. Yuri winced.

"Right." Yuri said slowly, and lifting his hand for his mom's inspection.

Miko squealed, her scowl evaporating. "Oooh! A perfect fit! And it suits Yuu-chan so well! Wolf-chan has wonderful taste!" Wolfram blushed and continued to eat. Yuri smiled at Miko's enthusiasm, even though he felt a little out of his depth, he was pleased that everyone seemed so happy.

* * *

**Maybe?: **the word lingerie was not used until 1922, which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the future as far as Shin Mazoku is concerned, I think. Negligee first made its appearance in the 1700s, so I also think it is safe to say that Wolfram gets that word, just about. Maybe, heh.

**Disclaimer: **Oh yeah, and _Sukisho_ is not mine, obviously and _TV Kanagawa_ is a real independent television station in Japan (Tokyo, I think) that did air Sukisho and does other anime.

Sukisho is kind of old news over there but neh, I still love it.


	4. The Change

**WARNING! **_**Slight **__**dubious-consent and sexual content.**_

* * *

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Change**

**A** little past midnight, Yuri and Wolfram had managed to sneak away, exhausted. They were both giggling as they stumbled into Yuri's bedroom, the small amount of whiskey they had consumed seeming to make everything hilarious. Yuri closed the door behind him quietly, forefinger pressed clumsily to his lips as Wolfram fell back on the bed, both shushing the other between giggles.

"Sssshhhhh. _Quiet_. They'll know we left." Yuri warned with a grin.

Wolfram's eyes sparkled, "It's _your_ party, Yuri. I think they'll notice." He giggled. Yuri shook his head, feeling slightly dizzy with the motion and stumbled towards the inviting bed and its occupant.

"No. No, they won't. Everyone's completely _drunk_. Even Conrad!" Yuri exclaimed and then shushed himself along with Wolfram and they both giggled again. "_Even Conrad_." Yuri whispered loudly causing Wolfram to throw his head back in joyous amusement. Yuri shushed him with a grin. "Even_ Murata_. They're all _so_ _drunk_. Seriously, we're the soberest people here."

"Huh huh, _sober_esssssst. Hah hah!" Wolfram snorted, tears of laughter streaming down his cutely flushed face. Yuri burst into fits of breathless mirth falling back alongside Wolfram, the bed practically vibrating with their combined humor.

Minutes later, when they had calmed enough that they were no longer in danger of bursting into random fits of giggles they both laid breathless and happy, side-by-side. Yuri heard Wolfram hum happily and grinned up at the ceiling, his eyelids beginning to droop. Yuri was almost asleep when the bed shifted with Wolfram's weight and suddenly that happy hum and warm breath was brushing against Yuri's ear.

His eyes shot open. "Eh, Wolfram?" That humming sound came again but this time, with Wolfram's lean body, warm and pressed snuggly along Yuri's left side, one strong leg inching leisurely across Yuri's thighs it didn't quite sound 'happy' anymore, it sounded more like… _something else_.

"Wolfram? What are you doing?" Yuri asked, still a little breathless.

Wolfram made another sound as he nuzzled Yuri's neck, a delicate, calloused hand caressing behind the shell of the Maoh's right ear, the slim arm attached suddenly resting across his chest, sending a shock of _something_ down Yuri's spine, leaving his skin tingling. "Mmn, _sleepy_." That sound was definitely a moan this time, and Yuri flushed so hot he began to sweat.

"Eh, b – but we're still dressed." Yuri complained weakly, frozen in place.

"Hmn, get _un_dressed then,_ Yuri_." Wolfram purred directly into his ear sending another shiver through the young Maoh's body. Then Wolfram lifted his torso slowly, his arms and shoulders visibly flexing underneath the rumpled white dress shirt he wore, his cute face completely flushed with his green eyes, dark and heavy lidded. Yuri laid still, staring wide-eyed at the seductive Mazoku, watching with a combination of rising panic and utter fascination as Wolfram hovered above him, feeling his hot breath against his face and a jean-covered leg settle either side of his hips.

Wolfram's free hand sliding up and over Yuri's abdominal _underneath_ his black tank top, suddenly caused Yuri's brain to catch up with what was happening. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, dislodging his silver link chain from its awkward sprawl across his throat.

"Wolf, _stop_." Yuri chocked out, so many protests wavering on the tip of his tongue. Wolfram's dark eyes grew closer, and so did smirking pink lips. Yuri couldn't look away.

_"Yuri_." Wolfram whispered, and moaned, and begged, and praised, and _yes_.

Powerfully, Yuri's eyelids slammed down and he arched, head thrown back, up into the body suspended tantalizingly just a hairs breath away. Yuri had never known that his name could sound like that, his name, which no matter how much he loved Conrad, he still hated after a childhood full of insults. But now, his name, _'yes, say it again'_.

_"Yuri." _Wolfram's body slid along his, rubbing in long, heavy strokes, and soft lips came down on the Maoh's gasping mouth.

Wolfram moaned and Yuri became un-frozen. His arms immediately came around Wolfram's shirt-covered torso, feeling the soft cotton beneath his hands and against his bare arms, squeezing tightly almost as if to hold the Mazoku still. Wolfram moaned again and pushed against the bed beneath them with his left hand to lever himself more comfortably over his Maoh, bowing his slim body, and thrusting his hips down against Yuri's. He was already hard.

Yuri gasped as Wolfram licked the sweat from his upper lip, following the Mazoku's thrusts helplessly, his dick filling so fast he got head rush. When Wolfram moved to dip his tongue between his lips, Yuri abruptly turned his head away from the unfamiliar sensation, feeling dizzy, with his arms still helplessly clinging to the sensual body on top of him. Undeterred, Wolfram licked along Yuri's clean-shaven jaw, up to his left ear, sucking and nipping at the reddened lobe.

Yuri's breath caught and he groaned, the wet feel of tongue and sharp teeth shot straight to his dick making him writhe. Wolfram's tongue inside was weird but also _really_ good. Yuri hissed and changed his grip to jean-encased thighs as they rubbed his naked hipbones raw.

The room stopped spinning after a long moment filled with hot movement and heavy breathing, and then Yuri knew with perfect clarity what was happening and what this made him.

And suddenly, Yuri was completely aware of the nails of Wolfram's right hand running along his chest down his abdominal again and again, every now and then piecing just a little deeper seemingly at random, and causing Yuri's skin to tingle with sexual electricity. Wolfram's mouth was doing incredibly dirty and pleasing things to his ear, his hot breath fogging Yuri's lusty mind. And Wolfram's thrusts were almost violent, filling Yuri with intense pleasure even when the rough friction was verging on painful.

Yuri could feel his orgasm coming, it was gaining on him fast but so was his fear. What did this mean? How had he let this happen? What was he going to say to Wolfram after?

"Wolf, stop it." He gasped out through gritted teeth. His fingers dug into Wolfram's thighs harshly, suddenly desperate to stop them both, but Wolfram only moaned Yuri's name and seemed to like the rough treatment. Yuri hissed with that painful pleasure when the head of his dick fought free of his baggy jeans with Wolfram's increasingly frantic movement, feeling his belly tighten with more than just fear. He had to stop this, and he had to stop it _now_.

Without giving himself time to give into his peeking pleasure-pain, Yuri took a firm grasp of the back of Wolfram's thighs, almost cupping his ass, and lifted up, turning them both and dropping Wolfram back onto the bed as if scolded. And as he stumbled backwards away from the rumpled bed and hot blond, he wasn't entirely certain he hadn't been.

"Wha-!" Wolfram panted, sprawled on his back. His cute face was confused. His green eyes glassy and hooded by thick, dark lashes, his golden hair a ruffled mess, and every visible patch of skin seemed to glow with heat. His shirt was partially unbuttoned at the top and sliding off one shoulder, his flushed neck and collarbone exposed, and also at the bottom where Wolfram's cute bellybutton was winking at him with each panting breath. And Wolfram's jeans, although tighter then Yuri's, were also slipping down over rounded hips. However, they were obviously caught on Wolfram's very hard appendage.

With great difficulty, Yuri dragged his gaze back up to Wolfram's face and then flinched. Over his brief bout of confusion, Wolfram had risen up on his elbows and now looked livid. Yuri had never seen him so angry before.

_"Yuri."_ Wolfram growled, his usually rough voice rolling in his throat making him sound like an aggravated lion, and Yuri could only bring himself to stand frozen like a frightened gazelle.

_"Yuri."_ Wolfram crawled towards him on the bed, on all fours with the 27th Maoh watching with wide black eyes. The blond rose up on his knees, green eyes flashing.

_"You Wimp!"_ he shouted, and Yuri was disorientated when the infuriated Mazoku did _not_ then pounce on him. Instead, Wolfram quickly turned his back to Yuri and collapsed flat on the bed, pressing his face into the bedding to muffle his screams of frustration as he struck the firm mattress with his clenched fists, kicking his legs out for good measure.

Yuri stared at the scene, immensely grateful that Wolfram had chosen to inflict his anger on the bed and not him.

Despite this, Yuri's dick was still hard and peeking out of his jeans. Realizing this, Yuri immediately tucked himself in and pulled his waistband up over his friction-burnt hipbones that were beginning to itch, and tugged his tank down as well, feeling hot with embarrassment. He knew he was a Wimp, tonight had proven that. His only consolation was that at least it was no longer his birthday anymore, that day had passed hours ago.

It took awhile, but soon Wolfram's rigid form became slack with fatigue. A little while after that, Yuri shifted against the chest of drawers he was leaning against, looking longingly towards the bed for more reasons than one. He was exhausted and, thankfully no longer hard. All he wanted to do now was go to sleep, preferably with Wolfram beside him and everything back to normal. However, he wasn't _quite_ stupid enough to believe that that was a possibility right now. His heart clenched in protest and he swallowed hard, feeling sick at the thought that he had ruined everything beyond repair.

Yuri jumped when Wolfram sat up and brushed his thick mane of hair back from his sweaty face. Yuri's heart was pounding in his ears as he waited for Wolfram to look at him, but when he did Yuri felt his heart plummet.

Wolfram was no longer furious, however the sadness in his glassy eyes was somehow much, _much_ worse.

Yuri stared into those tired green eyes as Wolfram licked his swollen lips and sniffled, bringing Yuri's attention to his glistening face and Yuri realized with a start that sweat was not the only moisture wetting Wolfram's cheeks. Yuri's heart beat painfully in his belly.

"Wolf –" Yuri started not knowing what he was going to say, however he never got the chance to find out.

"_Why_, Yuri?" Wolfram questioned on a whisper and Yuri instantly shut his mouth, looking lost. "Why couldn't you've given me just this _one _thing?"

Yuri's dark brow furrowed in confusion, "Wolfram… we shouldn't have done this. We're both _drunk_. It's not right."

"_What's_ not right, Yuri?" Wolfram asked dully, he looked so tired. "What is it that we did that wasn't _'right'_?"

Yuri hesitated and licked his lips. "We're both drunk." He repeated, feeling helpless and desperate. "It's not right to do that kind of thing when we've been drinking alcohol."

"And if we _hadn't_ been drinking?" Wolfram looked across the bedroom at Yuri, his eyes intense. "Would you have even let me touch you at all?"

Yuri hesitated again, and immediately saw how much his doubts hurt Wolfram by the way his blank expression crumbled slightly. Yuri stammered to defend himself. "B- But we haven't even_ kissed_ yet! You're just moving too fast. _We_'re moving too fast! This is all really sudden!"

Now Wolfram just looked annoyed, and Yuri was actually relieved to see the familiar ire burning in those green eyes, anything was better than the soul-crushing sadness that came before.

"_'Sudden'__?!_ Four years is not _'sudden'!_ And I _tried_ to kiss you but you denied me! Just like with everything else, you denied me! So don't stand there and tell me _'we're moving too fast'!_ **Trees grow** faster than you move, you **WIMP**!" Wolfram rose again to his knees, his fists clenched at his sides. Yuri bristled even as he feared for his life.

"Four years isn't _that_ long since I was only _fifteen_ when we met. And the first year doesn't _count_ anyway, I only started taking our engagement seriously _after _I turned sixteen –"

"_Really_." Wolfram said dryly, sounding so spoilt that it took a long moment for Yuri to remember that there was a time when Wolfram used to talk like that every time he opened his mouth, a long time ago it seemed regardless of what Yuri had just said. "That's sure _news_ to me, Wimp. I had _no idea_ that you took our engagement _'seriously'_ **now**." Arms crossed and green eyes glared daggers at him.

Now Yuri scowled. "Hey! I've been _trying_ to show you that I care, but you always make it so _difficult_. And it's not like _you've_ been making that much of an effort lately, anyway."

_"Me__?!" _he gasped, his cute face contorting with outrage. He got off the bed and to his feet to stand rigid an arms-length from where Yuri remained. "_How much_ _effort_ do you need me to keep up, Yuri?! _How many times_ must you _reject me_ before you agree that it's enough and I can _walk away_?!"

"I'll _never_ agree to that!" Yuri exclaimed, shocked that Wolfram would even ask that, it sounded like Wolfram was asking Yuri to **let him _go_**.

No. **_Never_**_._

"What_ more_ can I offer you, Yuri?!" Wolfram demanded with his arms spread-wide, presenting his whole self to his Maoh like a _sacrifice_. Yuri didn't like that comparison. "If you were any other man, you would've had me and turned me away by now."

That got Yuri's blood boiling. "And you think that's _right?!_ You're angry at me because I'm _not _treating you like – some kind of – of **_sex object_**_?!"_ he fumed.

"I WISH YOU WOULD!" Wolfram flailed his arms, his eyes wild. Yuri stopped breathing. Wolfram's eyes suddenly flooded with tears and all the fight seemed to drain from him. Yuri hated himself at that moment. "I wish you _would _use me. Then, at least I'd know that you _wanted_ me. Even if… _just for that_."

Yuri stared blankly at the spot on the carpet where Wolfram's bare feet had been as he listened to his bedroom door slam shut. Several shallow breaths later, the room blurred and his cheeks felt unexpectedly damp. He could feel the room closing in around him. Even curling himself up as small as possible on the soft-carpeted floor didn't help to relieve his feeling of suffocation.

* * *

**Next chapter: Yuri goes looking for Wolfram...**


	5. The Night

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Night**

**I**t was an inordinate amount of time later that Yuri came to his senses enough to begin to think coherently, and discovered that he was sitting on his bedroom floor with his forehead resting on his knees, which he was hugging tightly. He felt completely drained of energy, but his eyes where too scratchy to contemplate sleeping, blinking was agony enough.

Sniffling pitifully, he lifted his heavy head and glanced dully around his bedroom, the rumpled bed the most prominent possession in the room. Yuri stared at it, not really seeing. Wolfram's cute face, hurt and desperate swam circles round Yuri's mind. A flurry of questions littered the still image, all jumbled together in distant voices and begging for him to answer.

Yuri pressed a palm against his throbbing head, groaning in misery. His thoughts and emotions were so confusing, conflicting and contradicting that he didn't even know what he was feeling anymore. A year ago, Yuri was certain, absolutely that he would never, could never love Wolfram _that way_. However, within that time Yuri had fallen more and more in love with his fiancé, and grown more and more attracted to him.

Until last year, Yuri was certain of his feelings and of his sexuality. Everything had seemed so simple to him. He loved Wolfram. However, because he was straight and he resolutely liked cute girls, there was _no way_ that he could ever be with Wolfram _that way_. Besides, he was still young! And as he understood it, he had many, many years ahead of him to grow up and do adult things.

But then, Wolfram seemed to grow distant. Oh, he would still always be by Yuri's side, always reliable, always a comfort. But now, he would say very little, only giving his opinions when Yuri or Gwendal asked it of him and for some reason refused to meet Yuri's eyes. That was the only change. Wolfram would still follow Yuri everywhere, on every whim of his. He would still offer to wash Yuri's back regardless of how many times he was rejected or that they no longer shared baths, he still fetched him food and would get him out of trouble with Gwendal without hesitation. Maybe that's why Yuri hadn't really noticed Wolfram slowly pulling away from him, emotionally.

Now there was this invisible wall between them… or there had been until tonight… but Yuri supposed that that moment of recklessness on Wolfram's part was over now.

The wall was back.

A part of Yuri felt like crying, sure that Wolfram was everything that he needed and would _ever _need. However, another part of Yuri, almost equal in size and importance, was the nagging belief that what Yuri _really _needed was a young Japanese Wife. He thought that a Wife that would wait anxiously at home for him with his children was a nice thought. Surely, Yuri deserved someone whom he would miss terribly whilst away from but also find comfort in knowing that that person was safe and waiting. Did he not deserve someone delicate and needy, and only for him? Didn't he?

Yuri was constantly at war with himself, and he wasn't sure which half was the real him or even if one half was fake. He really did want the precious, young and perhaps homely Wife with many, many children. But he also really,_ really_ didn't want to let Wolfram go. Wolfram had somehow become his _everything_, and he had only noticed it when he had finally stopped to consider breaking off their engagement for good.

It had been a couple of weeks after Wolfram had bluntly confessed to him and he was later awoken in the night by Wolfram's tears. It had been nagging at his conscience for two whole weeks and Yuri had finally broke down and hid himself in a dark corner of the castle to think. For hours he had thought about his own feelings, Wolfram's proclaimed feelings and the possible choices he could make to try to appease them both.

All he had accomplished was the complete acceptance of Wolfram's unrequited and _romantic _love, and the possessive nature that Yuri's feelings of friendship for Wolfram had progressed, that and a _huge_ headache. He had then decided that he would just leave things as they were until either his feelings were resolved or he finds a girl he believes would make him happy, which would result in the same thing.

That was more than a year ago and Yuri's feelings were definitely NOT resolved, if anything, they had gotten _even more_ complicated and he still hasn't found a girl he really liked or even so much as kissed a girl, either. Yuri had blamed the short amount of time he spends on Earth with his family for the lack of opportunities. And now, Yuri had almost come whilst doing something _very sexual_ with Wolfram.

Clearly, something was wrong with him.

Yuri groaned with frustration and rubbed at his face harshly. He almost didn't care anymore which side of him won out, if only to feel something again without doubting himself. But the fact that he really does care keeps him balanced on that dangerous knife-edge, keeping him hesitant and indecisive. He's absolutely terrified of slipping and hurting himself or Wolfram, or them _both_.

He might have slipped too far this time.

Breathing out a long, shaky sigh, Yuri struggled to his feet and shook the cramp out of his legs, the weight of his newly acquired ring stiflingly heavy. It was early the next morning now, according to his alarm clock it was almost four and Yuri knew that he wasn't going to get any sleep now.

Laden with guilt and resolved to his fate, Yuri decided to search for Wolfram. It had been almost two hours since he ran out and Yuri doubted that he would be getting any sleep tonight either.

Wondering into the hallway, Yuri first checked the upstairs bathroom. The door was ajar and inside was disappointingly Wolfram-free. Yuri sighed, having known it wouldn't be that easy but his heart dropped in frustration anyway. He stepped out and walked towards the stairs instead, passing his parents' room, which Yuri knew (don't ask him _how_) to be locked from the inside. And Shori's room, which continually emanated a phosphoric glow and the low hum of electricity. And lastly, his own room, dimly lit and lonely.

Downstairs, he wasn't fairing any better. Conrad looked to be passed out on the Sitting room couch in front of a conspicuously empty bottle of whiskey. Yuri stopped to stare at his godfather and protector, never having seen Conrad so compromised. However, after the night Yuri had had he didn't feel surprised.

Whether that was because he had witnessed Conrad's increasingly long sips during the evening, or because he felt too miserable to feel anything other than misery right now, he didn't care to think about.

The downstairs bathroom, Sitting room, Dining room and Kitchen were all deserted. Murata had obviously left for his own home sometime after Yuri and Wolfram had sneaked away, despite the late hour. Yuri hoped he had made it there safely. Murata had also been drinking that night after all.

He'd text his friend when he got back to his room, he decided.

However, Yuri was preoccupied with the disappearance of one fire Mazoku at the moment. And he was really starting to worry that Wolfram wasn't in the house anymore. Yuri hurried to the locked patio doors and peered outside. He wasn't out there either.

He wouldn't run away would he? Surely, he wouldn't do something that careless, even while upset?

Feeling panic set in, Yuri leapt back up the stairs and stood rigid in the hallway, trying to think of what to do next. Should he wake his parents? Conrad? What would he tell them? His stomach squirmed at the thought of his mom's worry or Conrad's disappointment. No, maybe Shori would be the best choice. Yuri scowled, remembering how close Shori had become to Wolfram and almost decided to set out to search on his own.

However, he cared more about Wolfram's wellbeing then his own insensible jealousy. Therefore, he gritted his teeth and shuffled over to his insufferable brother's bedroom door, dreading asking him for help. No doubt, Shori will have a lot to say about his precious Yuu-chan losing his unbelievably cute fiancé.

Yuri bowed his head and raised his fist to knock.

And heard the low murmur of voices... as in _more than one_. Shori being the obvious, of course and Yuri's heart stuttered in his chest when the unmistakable voice of his missing fiancé answered.

Yuri froze. Wolfram hadn't run away, he'd run to _Shori_.

The voices were too low to recognize what they were saying, at least from where Yuri was standing. Although Wolfram didn't sound upset, or not anymore, anyway. Yuri shook himself out of his stupor and hesitantly pressed his ear to the solid wood, feeling his belly flip unpleasantly as his mind swam with implications.

"Shori, I'm not tired. I told you, you should take the bed, I'm fine over here. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight anyway." Wolfram said in his sulky voice. Yuri's lips twitched into a smile despite everything.

"Wolfram." Shori replied in his I'm-the-adult-so-I-know-better voice. And Yuri's smile slipped back into a frown. "I told _you_, if you get comfortable enough, you could doze for a few hours at least."

Yuri could practically feel Wolfram shaking his golden head in stubborn refusal. "I doubt it. Shori, I feel bad enough keeping you up this late with my problems. Please, just go to bed. _I'm fine_." Yuri could hear the annoyance in those last two words and felt his lips quirk again. He had always admired how Wolfram's emerald eyes would catch the light and make it dance when he was annoyed, even in the dark. He wondered if Shori was admiring that playful flickering now.

He frowned again.

"Your _problem_ is _my little brother_, who I will be having some stern words with tomorrow." Yuri winced at his brother's anger as well as his proclamation. _Great_, now he had one more thing to look forward to in the morning.

"No, don't!" Yuri jumped at Wolfram's suddenly panicked denial, and held his breath as he waited in the brief silence that followed. "Don't interfere, _please_ Shori. I want Yuri to decide for himself what he wants. At least then, no matter what he decides, I'll know that he'll be happy." Yuri gasped silently, shocked.

Although within his next breath, he thought himself a fool for being so startled.

"But Yuri _loves_ you! Everyone knows that!" Yuri opened his mouth and muffled his indignant yelp with the palm of his hand just in time, his dark eyes wild. "He's just too stubborn to admit that he has hormones!" Shori hissed, and Yuri's face burned with humiliation. "No, it's not even that, it's that he's sexually attracted to another boy!" _Wolfram_ was listening to this. He felt like crying.

He couldn't even imagine what face Wolfram was pulling right now. Did he even want to know?

"… Thank you, Shori." Yuri's head snapped up and he stared at the white grain of the wooden door incredulously. Wolfram's gentle smile was clear to Yuri's ears. Shock and something else, something thicker roiled in Yuri's gut as he pressed his ear back to the door, hard. "…don't know what I would have done without you this past year. It's nice having someone on my side for once."

"…Well." Shori cleared his throat, suddenly sounding uncomfortable. Yuri suddenly felt sick. "I'm on both your sides. I just want Yuu-chan to be happy. And, whether he admits it or not, you make him happy. O-Of course, I want you to be happy as well. I don't want to see _either_ of you upset because of how thickheaded my baby brother can be…" Shori trailed off as Yuri pursed his lips in irritation.

"Thank you, Shori." Wolfram repeated, more confidently this time. His smile was still apparent in his gentle tone of voice, and Yuri felt his heart sink a little further. "You know, I think I _could_ sleep for a little while." He announced with more enthusiasm. "That is, if you still don't mind giving up your bed?"

"Not at all!" Shori complied quickly, and there was the hurried rustling of bed sheets that made Yuri's stomach turn dangerously, and the unmistakable sound of soft footsteps drawing closer. "Make yourself comfortable. If you need more pillows I can go get some for you…?"

"No. Thank you. This is fine." There was more rustling and the creak of mattress springs. "If I'm not up by then, could you wake me for breakfast?" Wolfram said around a yawn.

"Sure. Sleep well." Shori replied. Yuri could make out his shuffling footsteps as he, no doubt, walked over to his desk and laptop.

"Night, Shori." Yuri closed his eyes to the agony of hearing the sentiment that was his every night, be addressed to his older brother.

"Good night, Wolfram." Shori whispered.

Yuri listened to the squeak of Shori's desk chair giving under his weight and the familiar clicks of lazy fingers hitting keys, for long minutes afterward.

Click, click. **Click. **Click, click, click. **Click. **Then a familiar, cute and snuffling snore.

Yuri pulled himself away from the hypnotic noise and Shori's bedroom door. His left cheek itched with an imprint of the wood grain, and he rubbed at it as he stumbled back into his own bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

* * *

**Next chapter: the morning after and Yuri's got a decision to make...**


	6. The Choice

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Choice**

**T**he sun hit his face with blinding force and Yuri leapt from sleep with a gasp, sitting up straight as his head did its best impression of splitting open. He shoved his sweaty face into his cool palms and groaned out his agony, feeling his brain throb in his skull with every breath.

_Why_ did people drink alcohol _knowing_ that this would happen?! Yuri promised himself that he would _never_ drink that much alcohol again in his _entire_ lifetime. No matter how long he lived. It's so not worth it, having to suffer like this just for a few hours of feeling out of control…

Yuri startled as all of his five senses suddenly drowned him in the memory of soft lips, warm and wet breath, sweet and spice, pale skin and golden hair, and the unmistakable scent of male arousal. His heart hammered against his ribcage as he stared wide-eyed into the distance, not seeing at all.

He'd made Wolfram cry again. Something stirred beneath his breastbone, a ravenous beast, angry and disgusted with him, digging its vengeful claws into his struggling heart, _threatening_. He'd made Wolfram cry again, and he **hated** himself for it.

Yuri wallowed for a still moment. Wolfram had cried because he wanted Yuri to _use_ him for _that_, **that's** how neglected he feels. Then he'd hidden himself away with _Shori_, in **Shori's** _bedroom_. Yuri couldn't stop the scowl from darkening his face, even as the beast in his chest roared that it was _his own fault_.

He had to apologize. He _had_ to set things right with Wolfram. He had to explain himself.

Out in the hall an hour later, Yuri exited the upstairs bathroom feeling much better, even though his temples still twinged with the reminder of his earlier discomfort.

And now for the hard part. Yuri stared at Shori's closed bedroom door, the phantom feel of the wood grain still imprinted on his cheek. Was Wolfram still inside? Was he asleep? Or was he downstairs where Yuri could hear a gathering of warm voices and the smell of crisp bacon and fried eggs?

Yuri took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He'd try Shori's room first. And with a little luck, he could talk to Wolfram without the audience waiting for them downstairs.

He took a striding step forward and then froze. Footsteps thudded dully up the carpeted stairs, and the last person Yuri wanted to see right now appeared with a wicker breakfast tray, teeming with crisp bacon, fried eggs, juicy mushrooms and melting-buttered toast. And a mug of something steaming.

Yuri hoped that was a sweet tea, Wolfram reacted badly to caffeine. He had been emotional to the extreme the one time he'd tried a cappuccino while touring around Tokyo for the _nth _time, with Yuri and Murata. His mood swings were so severe that Yuri had to call Shori, and _beg_ him to pick them up quickly and take them straight home, where Wolfram then crashed out on Yuri's bed for the rest of the afternoon.

Shori saw him when he reached the landing. He paused and straightened imperiously. He was as impervious as his demeanor. Yuri stiffened his spine subconsciously, facing off against his brother in a manner that was most uncomfortable to him. Shori's bedroom door loomed like a screaming question between them. The inevitable answer lay on the other side, out of sight.

"Is that for Wolfram?" Yuri chocked out in a rush, his heart thumping at his lungs.

Shori glanced down at the tray in his hands, as if just remembering its existence, then back at Yuri. He nodded. "He said he wanted to come down for breakfast last night but he's in no state to get out of bed yet. So, I'm taking breakfast to him." Shori's voice sounded weird to Yuri, too strained, too polite.

And then Yuri remembered Shori's promise to Wolfram the night before.

The beast within him stirred restlessly at Shori's obvious affection for _his_ Wolfram. His brother would never give up the opportunity to nag him even after a promise not to, not when the promised was not around to _know_. This was a testament to just how much Shori valued Wolfram's feelings… Shori had _never_ reacted like this before.

Yuri hid his dark expression behind his equally dark bangs, watching Shori through thick lashes. A silent, rumbling growl rattled his ribcage.

"Wolfram can't drink coffee. It makes him crazy." Yuri snapped. His heightened senses immediately picked up the bitter scent. The ceramic tableware clinked quietly as Shori gripped the reed tray handles tighter, his restraint beginning to crease his brow.

"He needs a pick-me-up." Shori gritted out.

Yuri pulled back his lips to bare his teeth, challenging. "_That_ will send him through the _roof_ and you know it! I think, that the _last _thing he needs right now is a caffeine trip!"

"I'm surprised you think at all about _his needs_." Shori retorted with intent. Yuri breathed deeply, his anticipation fizzing just beneath the surface. _Now_, they were getting somewhere.

"Got something to say, Shori?" He prompted, lifting his head to meet the gleam of his brother's spectacles.

Shori scoffed. "Why bother? You'll just ignore anything I say, just like you ignore what your own conscious is telling you. You _know exactly_ what I want to say, and also you know I'm _right_. I'd hope that that alone would be enough to end your stupidity." Both Shibuya brothers glared at one another. A frosted fraction of time, and then Shori shook his head, breaking their eye contact but not their tension. Without another word, he turned around and headed back down the stairs.

Yuri glared after him, knowing that Shori would be back with sweet tea in minutes. His stomach was twisting in knots, guilt, jealousy and frustration combined. _What was he supposed to do?!_

His black eyes turned towards Shori's bedroom door. There was _one thing_ that he could do, _right now_.

With less conviction then before, Yuri shuffled over to his brother's room. The distant murmur of cheerful voices downstairs faded to nothing as Yuri pressed his ear against the familiar wood again. It was faint, but soft, soft snores were present within.

Yuri breathed a little easier, and finally, finally pushed at the handle.

Shori's room was unusually dark, and Yuri glanced at the window to see the curtains closed. He rolled his eyes. No wonder Wolfram was still asleep. His body still thought it was nighttime because the sun was not warming his skin as it does every other morning.

He strode to the window and yanked open the offending material. The sunlight hit his face like a warm breeze and he smiled for the first time that day. Tilting his head back, he breathed in as the golden rays caressed his glowing cheeks.

After a moment, he sighed, squint his eyes and turned towards his slumbering fiancé. As he expected, Wolfram was fully submerged in the bedcover, with the exception of his left leg, which was hovering above the cover as if propped up on something that Yuri couldn't see. He was used to the Fire Mazoku's weird sleeping positions. However, some of them still baffled Yuri. He'd considered asking Wolfram about his dreams before, when particularly bewildered, but then he remembers how the blond would always call out his name in some fashion, and warily changes his mind.

Yuri was sure that he wasn't ready to know. Yet. Maybe.

Shaking his head free of his pointless thoughts, Yuri crept over to the bedside and tentatively sat on the mattress, all the while, watching the steady rise and fall of the mound of blue comforter. With a playful grin, he reached up and dragged the edge of the cover down to reveal Wolfram's flushed and sleeping face to the late morning sunshine.

He shone. His pale skin was pink from sleep and his lips were rosy as if recently kissed. Yuri licked his own, tasting the echo of spice and a sweetness that was entirely Wolfram. He had kissed those lips.

Well, Yuri frowned, _not really_. He remembered how he had pulled away before Wolfram could deepen the kiss. Too hot, his thoughts whispered. All he could feel was heat.

Yuri startled, yelping and falling to the floor with a crash as Wolfram sat up, rubbing the lingering sleep from his drooping, dark green eyes. Yuri groaned and rubbed his now aching coccyx.

"Yuri?" Wolfram murmured in confusion, looking blurrily down at the clumsy Maoh. "What are you doing?"

Yuri scrambled to his feet with a grimace and a blush. Why was he always falling on his ass in front of Wolfram?! He forced a laugh, rubbing his heated neck while keeping his left hand on his newly sore spot.

"Haha haha ha, eh. I'm eh - here to wake you up!" Yuri announced with a measure of triumph. Ha! Take_ that_, Shori!

Wolfram winced and put a hand to his head, and Yuri felt his stomach knot with concern.

"Are you ok? Can I get you something? Do you want to go back to sleep? Shouldn't I've woken you?" He said in one breath.

Wolfram waved his hand at him. "I'm fine. Although, I could do with some of those pain-relief pills this world is so fond of. I don't want to go back to sleep, I've slept enough. And I wanted to be up for breakfast this morning, I don't know why Shori didn't wake me up, have I missed it?" he grumbled while massaging his temples.

Yuri pursed his lips in sympathy before dropping his eyes to the floor. "No, you haven't missed it. Eh, Wolf? - About Shori -"

They both jumped when the devil himself walked into his bedroom, laden with a hearty breakfast and another cup of something steamy. This cup, however, was considerably smaller then the last.

Wolfram immediately perked up, his green eyes suddenly bright again and Yuri scowled darkly.

"Is that breakfast? Is it for me?" Wolfram questioned as he sat up straight, already moving the comforter to one side.

Shori grinned, sending a sly, smug look Yuri's way. "Yep. I thought, with your hangover, you'd prefer to have breakfast in bed." He strutted over, ignoring Yuri's glaring, and plopped the tray on Wolfram's bare legs.

Wait a minute. _Bare legs?!_ Yuri stepped forward to look again and, true enough, Wolfram's long, pale, _perfect _legs were completely bare of clothing. In fact, all that he was wearing was his crinkled, white shirt and black thong, the Skin Mazoku black, _leather _thong that the young Mazoku Lord and ex-Prince refused to substitute for the more conservative choice of earthen boxer briefs.

Yuri gaped, his brain imploding with the knowledge that his precious Wolfram had stripped down to the minimum in front of his brother and then spent the night in his bed. He barely restrained himself from leaping on Shori and covering the pervert's eyes.

Wolfram's moan of enjoyment as he ate and Shori's rapt attention caused something to snap inside him.

"Shori!" he commanded, causing Wolfram and Shori to startle and stare at him, wide-eyed. Yuri glowered at them both, "You've done what you wanted, now get out. I want to talk to Wolfram _alone_." He gritted out through clenched teeth.

Shori bristled. "This is _my _-"

_"OUT!" _Yuri hissed harshly. Shori opened his mouth again looking mightily ticked off, but then seemed to think better of it. He merely stomped to the door and out into the hall, slamming the door behind him. Yuri's eyes pieced through the thick wood in Shori's stead.

"Yuri?" Wolfram asked firmly.

Yuri's glare pieced Wolfram. "Do you have no shame?" he demanded.

Wolfram chocked, his eyes wild. _"Me?!" _he gasped, incredulous.

Yuri was unrepentant. "Yes, _you!_ You, with your naked legs and you're sleeping with my brother!"

Wolfram's jaw dropped, his face flooding crimson. He shoved the breakfast tray away and sprang to his feet, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"I'm _what?!" _

"Sleeping. In his bed. _Shori's bed._" Yuri said empathetically before losing it completely. "YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH MY BROTHER! _NAKED!"_

_"I'M NOT NAKED!" _Wolfram screamed, as his face turned blood-red and blotchy, his green eyes bright with his increasing rage and disbelief. It was clear from his expression that he believed Yuri had lost his mind.

"Close enough!" Yuri insisted, gesturing boldly at the aforementioned bare legs. Wolfram looked down in shock. Impossibly, his face became even redder and he stalked over to his jeans, folded neatly over the back of the desk chair, quickly stuffing his legs inside.

Yuri's glare turned into a pout when Wolfram was fully, although haphazardly dressed. When Wolfram whipped around in the late morning sunlight, the window glowing behind him, looking like a Thunder God, beautiful and chaotic, Yuri feared for his life. Instantly he regretted his outburst, the burning look in Wolfram's eyes telling him that he should be _very _fearful... not for his life, for his _manhood_.

"Is _that _really what you think of me?!" the golden vision demanded of him, his curly locks raised high on his head looking as soft and as rigid as the rest of him. And all Yuri could think about was how beautiful he truly was.

"No." Yuri answered finally, after a long and awkward pause. Wolfram seemed to deflate slightly, and Yuri could instantly see the relief Wolfram felt, which made him feel guilty. "I really don't think you'd do that, I just - I'm _jealous_." He admitted quietly. He cringed at his own words, they were even worse when said out loud.

"Jealous?" Wolfram questioned suspiciously. "Of what?"

Yuri shook his head feeling as if his stomach was in knots. He really didn't want to say what he must. Then he reminded himself that he needed to set things right between them both. "I'm jealous of your - _'friendship' _- with Shori. I think he likes you and it makes me mad knowing that you've been spending so much time with him behind my back. And sleeping in his room. I don't really think that you'd cheat on me, I just - It's _him _I don't trust. Around you. At _all_."

Wolfram's mouth gaped open, his eyes wide with incredulity, before he blinked and shook it off. "That's ridiculous, Yuri!" he insisted with a slight, amused smile. It was obvious that the Fire Mazoku trusted Shori completely. "He's your brother, and I'm your fiancé. That makes him my brother too. He's just like Gwendal and Conrad."

Yuri muttered about brother-complexes and how that isn't very reassuring. He's seen how Gwendal ignores them, and how Conrad drinks himself into a stupor at parties when others tease Yuri and Wolfram about how mature they're becoming, and the _'marital bliss' _to come. Once or twice, Yuri had been terrified that Conrad would confront him, demanding all sorts of weird things when his Godfather strides towards him with hesitant purpose. Fortunately, so far Conrad has either changed his mind mid-step or been too drunk to not be distracted by something else, and Yuri doesn't see him again until he's had time to sober up and, luckily, convince himself that Yuri is too naive and _good_ to do anything sinister to his cute baby brother.

The fact that he's _right_ irritates Yuri when he thinks about it for too long, until, that is he convinces himself that really, he wasn't ready to _not_ be naive and being good was in his nature, and he shouldn't really go against _nature_.

Now, Yuri realizes that both he and Conrad (and Gwendal) have been avoiding the issue, been in denial of what shouldn't have been a problem in the first place. And really, they were _all_ being ridiculous.

They all love Wolfram and want what's best for him, (albeit, Yuri loved him a little differently - he hoped.) and yet they had all forgotten one very important thing, the _most _important thing. What does _Wolfram _want?

"What do you want, Wolfram?" Yuri asked as if coming out of a trance. The Fire Mazoku in question blinked at him in shock before frowning with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Yuri bit his lip, hesitating. Then, he took a deep breath. "What do you want _from me?_ I think I know, but I want you to tell me. I don't know if I can give you everything right now, but - I want to. Be able to." He stuttered out towards the end, losing his courage a little at Wolfram's wide-eyed disbelief. But he had to tell the truth. No more running, he silently vowed. "I _do _love you, you know..."

Wolfram gasped and his eyes rapidly glazed with repressed tears. Yuri's heart stopped at the sight. He'd made Wolfram cry _again_.

A sob hit the air even as a pale hand rushed up to catch it, to hold it in. Then, as a cascade of droplets fell from glittering emeralds, a soft pearl of laugh fluttered like a wind chime on the summer breeze. And a radiant smile shone through Wolfram's trembling fingers.

He didn't stop. He laughed and laughed, crying and laughing, sobbing and smiling. And Yuri stared, his heart fluttering in his chest like a caged bird. Was Wolfram _laughing at him?!_

With a gasp and a shudder of mirth, Wolfram finally calmed himself, his cheeks wet and his eyes shining, but he looked happy. He had the look of someone who knew they were loved.

"You are _such _a Wimp." He whispered quietly, his mouth soft and smiling. Yuri breathed a little easier, and then a little harder when Wolfram stepped up to him, pressing close, his eyes surprisingly dark. "Since when have you loved me, Yuri?" he asked, a dangerous edge to his softly spoken words.

Yuri smiled sheepishly. "A while. I think I've loved you for a long time, but it's taken me a long time to admit it to myself. And now to you."

There was a long silence, in which Wolfram searched Yuri with intent and narrowed eyes with only inches between them, and Yuri kept his face cautiously open and honest. He was terrified that Wolfram might find something that he didn't like and reject him because of it.

Yuri jumped when hands gripped his shoulders firmly, squeezing as Wolfram smirked. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat at the same time the beast in his chest squirmed with excitement.

"I want _you_, Yuri." He whispered, his lips almost brushing his Maoh's. Yuri's breath froze as Wolfram breathed for them both. "I'll take whatever I can get from you. - But you already know that."

Yuri nodded slowly. _Breath_, he thought desperately. "I want to. To give you everything. I do. It's just - I'm, _terrified_. And I'm not sure why anymore, all I know is, that's the way I feel. I feel panicked when you get too close, and then I pull away."

Wolfram drew back slightly, as if stung. Yuri immediately grabbed at his wrists, holding him close and hurried to explain. "I really do want to! You have to believe me, please, Wolf! It's not because I'm with you like that, at least not entirely. It's the feelings I get, like I'm being dragged out to sea, or caught in the rapids heading towards a huge waterfall. I feel like I'm about to snap, to lose control and - and do something terrible. Like I do when I'm in Maoh-Mode."

Wolfram frowned at him for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "But you don't do _anything_ 'terrible' when you're in Maoh-Mode, Yuri. You serve Justice. You save lives. Maoh-Mode is _good_." He said empathetically.

Still, Yuri shook his head, unconvinced. "I've almost killed people before, and I have no control over what I'll think is Justice at that time. It's like a rush of pure energy and overwhelming power and I never know how I'm going to react. I don't want to hurt you, Wolfram. I never know what I might be capable of, and - no matter what I do, I always seem to hurt you. I don't want to, but I know I do and that's when I'm _me_. What if I go into Maoh-Mode when we - _you know_..." Yuri's speech dwindled out awkwardly, his cheeks flooding with heat.

Wolfram's face similarly flamed, his eyes became a little glassy and his pupils dilated. It took a few seconds for Yuri to realize that Wolfram wasn't worried at _all_.

He scowled and snapped. "HEY!" Wolfram blinked and focused on _him _once more, looking a little dazed. "You're supposed to want _me_ not _the Maoh_." He admonished sternly, his gut wriggling, uneasy.

Wolfram tilted his head cutely with a frown. "But Yuri, you _are_ the Maoh."

"You know what I mean." The young Maoh grumbled.

"Maoh-Mode is just _you_ with _'pure energy and overwhelming power'_." Wolfram gave a fleeting smirk, before meeting Yuri's eyes, suddenly serious. "I'm not afraid of you, Yuri. Not of you now, and not of you in Maoh-Mode. I've faced the Maoh twice and both times you could have killed me, but _you didn't_."

"But I could have. I almost..." Yuri whispered, guilty.

Wolfram only smiled, leaning in close. "I trust you." His whispered breath brushed Yuri's dry lips, making them both shiver.

"I don't trust me." Yuri countered just as quietly. Wolfram came even closer.

"Then trust _me_." He closed the gap between them with a searing kiss.

Yuri's breath left him in a rush and Wolfram's tongue pushed forward, invading, pale hands, strong and male grasping his hair, pulling him in not giving him chance to escape. Yuri flailed for a moment before finding his center with his hands buried in Wolfram's white shirt, his arms wrapping around a firm body.

His taste buds exploded with flavor, cooked bacon, egg yolk, butter and something undeniably sweet were prominent above the rest, when saliva, wet and not his own, mint and warm skin were muted among them. His lips moistened and tingled with every brush of Wolfram's mouth. His breath hitched in his chest with every swipe of Wolfram tongue, hot and writhing, thrilling and suffocating all at once. Yuri felt faint, and he didn't know if it was caused by lack of air or overheating of the brain.

A sharp bite to his bottom lip sent him stumbling back, the hands in his hair released him in shock, and his ass once again hit the floor. He winced at his renewed stab of pain as he gulped down much needed air, his chest heaving gratefully as his head stopped spinning. After a moment, he peered up at his panting counterpart. Wolfram was blushing redder than ever, his lips puffy, pink and moist, and they stared at each other with identical expressions of shock and amazement.

At least, Yuri thought that was what he was feeling, he wasn't entirely sure. He felt more like he had been struck by lightning and then left on the side of the road.

Wolfram laughed breathlessly, and knelt down before Yuri. "We're not very graceful at this." He surmised with a slanted smile. Yuri's lips twitched as he settled more comfortably on the prickly carpet, taking notice of the difference between this one in Shori's room and the carpet in the Maoh's bedroom back in Skin Mazoku. He definitely preferred falling down in his and Wolfram's room.

"Yeah." Yuri readily agreed with a self-deprecating grin. "But practice makes perfect, right?" he looked to Wolfram with hope.

The soft green eyes and eager expression was enough to take his breath away, again. Wolfram licking his passion-stained lips wasn't helping. "Well, we _do _need practice." He whispered encouragingly, crawling forwards.

Yuri's heart stuttered and his lungs emptied with a whoosh as Wolfram pressed him down, his back hitting the prickles of the faded lime green carpet, as his cute fiancé seated himself boldly in the curve of his pelvis.

Yuri didn't even have time to take a deep breath before the golden vision above him filled his world with light once again, even while something inside him tugged him insistently toward a black abyss.

* * *

**Next chapter: someone interrupts and what will Shori do now?...**


	7. The Journey

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Journey**

**W**olfram kissed his fiancé deeply, his hands pushing through that gorgeous head of black hair. He was already hard from being so close to Yuri. To touch so much of the man he loved with his entire being. _Yes_, his mind whispered, hissed with pleasure. Yes, _finally_.

He groaned as his tongue slid hotly against Yuri's, pressing down firmly into the hardness beneath him as Yuri's hands reached out to him, pulling him in closer. He moaned. _Yes_. Groins aligned, Wolfram rolled his hips as he rolled his tongue, loving the wet slide and rough friction combined. _Yes. _So hot, it was hard to breath. Yuri's fingers dug harshly into his circling hips and a shock of tingling pleasure spiked low in his belly. He groaned. _Yes. Yes. _His lips dripped with their shared saliva, Yuri's mouth slick against his own as molten pleasure pooled in his gut, the scratchy material of his jeans damp at the crotch, sweat beading on the nape of his neck, the moisture clinging to his hair, spreading throughout his entire body.

He whimpered.

_Yes. Yes. **Yes.**_

Wolfram gasped, sitting up with a start as he stared in alarm, his heart beating erratically in his constricting chest, when the door handle plummeted and the thick slab of wood swung open...

Ice enveloped Yuri in place of warmth, and he started at the abrupt loss of softness and solidarity. The black sea of bliss gushed in his ears as he broke through the surface, gasping. The late morning sunshine was blinding in its sudden intensity when he blinked and squinted at his golden Prince, whom was staring in abject horror at the shadow darkening the doorway.

In retrospect, making out on his brother's bedroom floor was probably not the _best _idea.

Shoma's patient grin had slipped slightly as his dark eyes widened in recognition of the guilty scene he'd just walked in on. Yuri felt all the blood drain from between his legs, shoot up his torso, bottle through his neck and flood his face. He swayed on his elbows in his reclined position with Wolfram still frozen in his lap, while Shori's room spun around them.

Shoma's laugh was more air than sound, "Sorry, son." He said sincerely enough. "Just came to let you know that your breakfast is getting cold, and if you don't hurry your mama will come and drag you downstairs herself. And I can see that you're busy..." he trailed off with a slightly awkward grin.

Wolfram's face was practically glowing with heat as he pried himself off of Yuri's lap, looking chastised and about to spontaneously combust with embarrassment. Yuri sat up, his own face blood red and wishing feverishly that he was back in his dark space, safe from his dad's patiently amused and knowing gaze.

"We'll be down in a bit." He managed to choke out, wincing at the roughness of his voice. Shoma let out another silent chuckle.

"I would say 'no rush', but you know how your mama gets. I'm sure you boys can wait until you're back in Shin Mazoku to continue." He winked, much to Yuri and Wolfram's growing mortification. And then, Shoma's eyes seemed to look through them and Yuri's stomach dropped, knowing that his dad was about to say something that would mentally scar him for life. And probably Wolfram as well. "I remember what it's like to be so young and in love..." He said, and Yuri screamed internally, frozen by 'the talk' he knew was coming. _Please, God, NO!_

"...Hormones always raging... Finding time to be close to the one you wanted was almost impossible when I was your age. Of course, it must be ten times more difficult for you two with a Kingdom to run, so many responsibilities...at least you get the nights to yourselves, right boys?"

Yuri whimpered sparing a desperate glance to the golden vision curled up beside him, blond head buried in the crossed arms perched on his raised knees, the tips of his ears glowing like hot iron. Yuri wondered if Wolfram was crying. Yuri felt like crying.

And Shoma was oblivious, of course.

"Why, when your mama and I got together, Yuri, we barely made time for anything else. We were so wrapped up in each other I missed a LOT of work, we spent days just-"

Yuri actually did scream that time.

"DAD! STOP! PLEASE!" Yuri begged, his hands flying to cover his _virgin _ears, thank you very much. He even squeezed his eyes shut to the visual images that he had been right to assume would mentally scar him for his _entire demon-length existence._

Shoma, thankfully, stopped. He just grinned and waved his hands, a poor attempt to placate the traumatized couple. He then left them alone with a wink and a last reminder to 'hurry up', shutting the door behind him.

In wake of the metallic click was a shameful silence.

Yuri collapsed back on the prickly carpet he now hated with a passion, an agonized groan vibrating in his throat and straining against his tightly pursed lips. He had no idea how he was going to face all the people downstairs. He was convinced that his dad wouldn't keep his mouth shut, that all of them would _know_.

He felt more then he heard Wolfram shift around next to him. The lithe length of the blond's body pressed alongside his own immobile form, that golden hair tickling the side of his jaw when Wolfram nuzzled his hot face against the already burning skin of Yuri's neck. Yuri's eyes were wide and his belly clenched painfully as Wolfram's warm breath washed over his collarbone.

His heart was once again attempting to jump out of his chest. His jeans were suddenly a lot tighter.

And he was feeling hot for a completely different reason.

Wolfram blew out a long breath that had Yuri's insides shivering with anticipation, before he whispered, "I suppose we should go down before Miko-san comes to find us..." he sounded just as reluctant to move as Yuri felt. But he did have a point.

"...I guess." Yuri sighed, struggling for a long moment to remember how to coordinate his limbs. He knew Wolfram was right. They had to move... if they didn't want Jennifer to walk in on them like this, resulting in a much worse experience than Shoma's arrival.

He was convinced.

They shuffled down the stairs slowly, Yuri the first to arrive in the living room. Murata was back, looking refreshed and ready to head back to Shin Mazoku as if he hadn't spent last night binge drinking with the rest of them. Yuri waved hesitantly to his best friend, watching as the Sage's eyebrows arched with interest when he took in Wolfram's close proximity to Yuri, and that they were holding hands. Something that Yuri hadn't even been aware of until that moment. He turned away from those wise, dark and bespectacled eyes, his heart fluttering madly.

Conrad also looked much better when he smiled his usual bland sort-of smile from his seat at the dining table. Although there was something about the way he looked over Yuri and Wolfram, standing so close together, sluggishness maybe, which was obvious only because Conrad's movements were usually so quick and skilful. Clearly, his Godfather was still suffering, which when considering everything, Yuri was most grateful for.

Shori glared from the corner of the couch. And Yuri showed the uttermost patience by blanking him completely.

"Yuu-chan!" Yuri looked up to see Miko with her pink apron on and an annoyed frown on her pretty face. There was also a hot spatula in one clenched fist, Yuri noticed worriedly. He squeezed Wolfram's hand in reflex to a potential danger.

Wolfram squeezed back.

"Did you not hear mama calling?" She asked him in her stern voice. Yuri blinked and wondered whether it would be best to tell her he really _hadn't_ heard her calling them. But the menacing glint in her light brown eyes told him that answer would not be satisfactory, even though it was the truth.

He gulped. "We were coming – I mean! We were just…" He flailed, panicking. Wolfram stepped closer, squeezing his hand painfully and kept silent, so generally not helping. Yuri might be hyperventilating, he couldn't be sure.

Happily, Shoma came to his rescue. "You boys must be hungry." He strolled into the kitchen with a devilish grin that made Yuri even more nervous. Shoma put his arm about his wife's tiny waist and leaned into her flirtatiously. "Honey, are you withholding your heavenly cooking from our boys?" He said in a whiney sort of voice that always grated on Yuri's nerves.

"Oooh, Winner!" Miko cooed, somehow charmed beyond all reason, with her cheeks flushing pink with happiness. Yuri rolled his eyes, more relieved than annoyed. He breathed a lot easier when Wolfram released his death-grip on Yuri's crumpled hand, although his palm felt too cool in wake of the heat of Wolfram's skin.

Rubbing his palms absently, Yuri looked over his shoulder and away from his too cute parents to see a terrifying sight.

Conrad was watching him, and Wolfram, suspiciously.

Yuri choked and quickly turned his back to his Godfather, looking for all possible escape routes. He reached out mindlessly to grasp Wolfram's hand again, seeing green eyes widen with surprised from the corner of his eye. If he was about to make a break for it, he was taking Wolfram with him.

Who would want to run away on their own, given the chance?

Of course, they didn't actually get a chance. Miko told them cheerfully to sit at the dining table as she gathered the cold remains of their breakfast together, and then placed it in front of them. Yuri paid extra special attention to his rashes of bacon, avoiding eye contact with his Godfather sitting opposite him as a happy consequence. He really was hungry and the food was delicious.

"Next time we'll bring Greta along." Yuri's head snapped up and he stared at his fiancé, aghast. Miko squealed with excitement, wanting to see her adopted granddaughter since the very moment she found out about her existence, last year. Yuri's insides clenched uneasily.

"But she's still too young!" he insisted, hating the whine in his voice but it was necessary.

Wolfram glared at him. "Greta is thirteen in five months. She's practically a Lady already, by human standards, which we agreed we'd raise her by. I know, she's growing up far too quickly for my liking too, but we can't hold her back just because we wish for her to stay our little girl. Greta is a satisfactory swimmer, you taught her yourself Yuri, _really_." Even Yuri heard his exasperation _this time_.

Yuri's expression hadn't changed. "But she's still a little girl! No way is she a Lady already! No. Absolutely not! I won't have it." Yuri crossed his arms and scowled with his gaze dark and unrelenting. This was _not _happening.

Wolfram huffed and crossed his arms as well. Miko looked to be vibrating with the need to intervene and Yuri was grateful when Shoma guided her attention back into the kitchen, because Yuri knew whose side she would take. And no matter how sound Wolfram's argument, he refused to be moved on this one.

Greta had not left Shin Mazoku since they had adopted her, and Yuri was quite happy for her to stay safely within the City walls for the next twenty years.

Alright, forty.

And by the resigned look on Wolfram's cute face, his peach plump bottom lip pushed out and still rosy from their recent make out, he well knew that Yuri was an impenetrable force on this subject. And Yuri couldn't help but feel a little smug.

End of discussion.

Miko and Shoma waved enthusiastically as they said goodbye. Yuri didn't understand it, to them he would be back within the hour and yet they acted like this was really goodbye. They always did.

Shori was leaning, _sulking_, against the patio door, glaring at Yuri as he and his friends, and Wolfram (much more than his friend now), stood ankle deep in the paddling pool of the Shibuya brothers' childhood that had become their permanent doorway between two worlds.

Yuri could see what Shori was planning. It was obvious in the tension of his shoulders and Yuri was hurt by how little his big brother trusted him, especially with something as precious as Wolfram's feelings.

However, Yuri had already resolved not to stop him.

Yuri focused on the link he had to his Kingdom and the people in his Country, he took a firm mental hold of that connection, and tugged, feeling himself and his three precious companions rush towards their destination. Plus one.

The arrival in the fountain to Shinou's Temple was always very sudden, at least Yuri thought so. Everyone did always come up gasping.

The air was so different in this world to Earth, fresher and somehow lighter, the first breath was almost like a sigh of relief on his lungs. Yuri shook the water out of his dark bangs and he stood, grinning at the sight of his daughter's excited face.

"Yuri!" Greta ran from Cecilie's side towards Yuri's open arms, giddy with childish delight. Yuri fell back into the fountain with a splash when his daughter jumped into his arms, she was definitely getting heavier. And taller. She giggled as Yuri sat up and shook out his hair again.

"Shori? What are you doing here?" Wolfram voiced, perplexed behind him and Yuri resisted the urge to look back. Barely. Greta peered over his shoulder, her big brown eyes curious and then ecstatic as she jumped up and ran out of Yuri's line of sight.

"Uncle Shori!" He heard her exclaim and another splash closely followed. Yuri couldn't help the small smile that tilted his lips even though he was still mad at his stubborn brother.

"Greta! Is that any way for a Lady to behave?!" Wolfram griped in, what Yuri liked to call, his 'Parent Voice'. Nobody but Greta was ever on the receiving end of Wolfram's surprising patience. Everybody else got his 'Bratty Voice'.

Of course, Yuri wasn't about to tell _anyone_ about his recent discovery of Wolfram's 'Sultry Voice'. That one he was keeping to himself.

Greta picked herself up off of Shori, still giggling with her beautiful purple dress, lace and ribbons dripping wet. "Wolfram!" she squealed in response and then jumped her other papa with the same enthusiasm. Yuri laughed as Wolfram went down with a yelp, managing to catch the twelve-year-old and cradle her to his chest before he was again surrounded by water.

Wolfram's first instinct was always to protect.

Conrad had made it safely out of the fountain first, a towel Cecilie had handed to him resting across his shoulders. He looked completely recovered from the night before and Yuri grinned at him as he too stepped out of the fountain.

"Here you go, your Majesty." Cecilie smiled and handed him a white fluffy towel, which he took gratefully. "Did you have a good birthday?" she asked.

"Yeah." Yuri dried his hair first, deliberately covering his blushing face with his towel. He tried not to think about what had _almost _happened in his bedroom on Earth that night, or what _had_ happened in Shori's bedroom that morning. And failed.

"Next time you'll _definitely_ be coming with us, Greta." Yuri whirled around, his embarrassment and towel forgotten, to see Wolfram's smug face and Greta's wide-eyes. Yuri stared, his mouth handing open in utter shock.

"Can I, Yuri, _really_?" Greta beamed up at him, her hands clasped to her chest as if in prayer, her big brown eyes glittering with so much joy. Yuri just stared, with his mouth still hanging open. "Ooooh! Thank you, papa Yuri!" Greta leapt forward again and enveloped her arms around his waist, squeezing him softly. Yuri's mouth snapped shut as he stared down at his ecstatic daughter. "Thank you! I've wanted so much to meet grandma Miko and grandpa Shoma! I can't wait to see Earth! Oh, thank you! Thank you!" she jumped up and down, up and down and then bounced away toward Cecilie, who was clasping her hands much the same as Greta had with a matching smile on the ex-Maoh's ruby lips.

"But I – I _didn't say anything_!" Yuri gasped out but Greta and Cecilie were already moving toward the horses ready to take them back to Blood Pledge Castle. Yuri stared after them, his head spinning.

What just happened?

Wolfram's body heat against his side reached him even through their soaked clothing. Yuri turned his head to look at the smug Mazoku, but he was still too shocked for it to fully register with him.

"Look how happy she is, Yuri." Wolfram said lowly, his green eyes sparkling. "Can you really tell her 'no' now?" They both knew the answer to that very well.

Finally, Yuri recovered enough to scowl. He took a deep breath in preparation for a mighty tirade about Wolfram defying the Maoh's orders, **again**, when that 'Sultry Voice' broke over his anger like a wave upon sand.

"I'll make it up to you later." Moist lips brushed against his ear, silk gold caressing his stunned face as the promise was breathed into his soul.

Yuri watched Wolfram glide after Cecilie and their daughter, his dark eyes sliding over the visible pale skin clinging wetly to the now see-through white shirt and ending at jean-back-pockets. Not realizing that his best friend and Godfather were fully aware of his lingering gaze.

His mind was far too full of the feverish pulsing darkness to notice.

* * *

**Next chapter: preparation for Yuri's Birthday Ball...**


	8. The Daughter

******TO ALL MY LOVELY READERS!: **_**Thank you so much for sticking this out with me, and a Special Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and keeps on reviewing whenever I update. I LOVE YOU ALL. And I promise to reply to as many as I can! I would just like to apologise for the short chapters and the long gaps between updates. Unfortunately, I doubt the chapters are going to get **_**much**_** longer (I have a numerical system going, which is only slightly OCD of me) or the wait any shorter. I am incredibly sorry for any and all inconvenience (I know what it's like when you read a WIP and the waiting just about drives you crazy, I'm reading several WIP right now so I feel your pain, which is why I appreciate you all **_**so much**_**), and I am eternally grateful from the bottom of my heart for you and everyone else who are still willing to wait for me to catch the YuuRam fever. It's fleeting for me but once caught, it buuuuurrrrnsssss. I know you feel it too. XD**_

* * *

**Wolfram's Tears**

**The Daughter**

**B**lood Pledge Castle was bursting with excitement, the maids and half the Castle guards were running to and fro, in and out of the Castle while Gisela yelled out orders from the Castle's front stone steps. Yuri smiled as he trotted through the gates on Ao, his heart full of love for his people and for his Country.

His home.

"Your Majesty!" echoed about Yuri in many greeting voices as he crossed the courtyard, several soldiers bowing low as he rode pass. He waved and smiled, feeling the warmth of this place welcoming him back with open arms.

"Your Majesty!" Gisela called out to him, pleasantly surprised to see the young Maoh and his companions back so soon. Yuri grinned down at her as he and Ao came to a halt at the bottom of the steps, and she walked forward to bow respectfully.

"Gisela! How're things going?" Yuri asked politely before he leapt from Ao to land feet-first on solid ground with a practiced and juvenile movement. He could practically feel the pinched glare Wolfram was undoubtedly pinning him with behind his back. The knowledge made Yuri's boyish grin widen.

"Really good, Your Majesty. And welcome home." Gisela responded in her soft and patient voice reserved only for the Maoh, the Princess, her father and her deserving friends. Oh, and very sick patients, of course. Well, maybe, if their injuries weren't their own fault.

Then Gisela's forest green eyes lit up, and Yuri already had an idea of what she was about to say and groaned internally. "Father is busy getting everything ready for your Birthday Ball tonight, Your Majesty. And Lord von Voltaire is waiting for you in his study to go over the guest list one more time. The Ten Noble Families are already here, of course, and three human Royals arrived this morning -"

Yuri strategically interrupted with some nervous laughter. Gisela looked up at him in askance whilst he rubbed at his nape, awkward as always, and hastened his brain to think up a quick get-away. Just** whose** _bright idea_ was it to leave Earth straight after breakfast anyway?

Oh right, it was his.

"Ha-ha, uh, I think I'm supposed to do that at the Ball, greeting everyone... So, I'll just check the guest list then...?" He widened his dark eyes in a way he knew was considered cute to, well, everyone he'd ever met, actually. So, he was fairly confident of its credibility. Gisela visibly softened even as she heard the excuses he was making and knew their true purpose. Yuri's inner self crowed in triumph and did a little happy dance that felt _a lot_ like 'The Caramell Dance', knowing that he was about to be let off the hook, that Gisela would march up to Gwendal's study and carry on the message in her stern Sergeant Voice, hands on hips that Yuri didn't need to do _anything_ until tonight, he'd _just got back_ from Earth so he was to _rest_ and -

"YURI!"

- and Yuri was _doomed _because Wolfram had _heard the whole thing_.

Yuri winced and turned to face the furious Fire Mazoku, already resigned to the lecture he knew was coming and had heard many times before, as well as the very _real_ threat of being burnt alive. He could see Conrad restraining a smile at the corner of his eye. Cecilie was not as polite and was giggling delightedly. Yuri pouted and widened his eyes on his unmerciful fiancé, whose lithe and damp body was tensed for a fight, his green eyes flickering dangerously.

"What did Miko-san _just say_ about you taking advantage of how good Gwendal and Gunter are to you? You've not even made it inside the Castle and you're playing hooky again, when are you going to stop being a slacker King, Wimp?!" Wolfram scolded brazenly, and **very** loudly.

Yuri cringed as he took notice of all the eyes suddenly giving them their undivided attention. Although, some guards had the decency to _pretend_ that they weren't listening intently. None of which were part of the Von Bielefeld elite, who Yuri had only just caught sight of walking towards them on the path from the stables. _They _were staring openly and some of those overly pretty faces were even smirking at the Maoh's predicament.

Yuri's face flooded with color, "**Don't **call me a-"

"Yuri! Wolfram! Would you like to see my new dress?" Yuri chocked on his customary comeback that hadn't got old yet (yeah, _right_), and never failed to enter his brain when no other argument could be made in his defense to one of Wolfram's scoldings which, unfortunately happened more often than not. Greta suddenly stood between him and Wolfram, her pretty face bright and eager, and Yuri completely forgot that he was currently in trouble, but luckily so did Wolfram. "Mama Celi had a dress made for me to wear to the Ball tonight. Don't you want to come see it and tell me what you think?"

"Of course!" Wolfram said immediately, sharp eyes on the giggling ex-Maoh wrapped in her usual curve-hugging, black dress with its plunging neckline and sides-split up passed her hips, and would most likely be completely _see-through_ if the free-loving Mazoku could figure out how to get away with it, legally. She was most likely already working on a way.

"Yes, we should do that! Right now!" Yuri quickly agreed, now thoroughly terrified of what Cecilie had designed for his precious daughter. _Especially_, if the Sexy ex-Queen was of the same mind as Wolfram, _somehow _conceiving that Greta was a growing Lady now...

The four of them, Yuri, Wolfram, Greta and Cecilie, (since Conrad had decided not to follow them for his own mysterious reason that none of them took the time to notice), all made it to Greta's bedchamber in record time. Most likely due to Yuri and Wolfram's over-protective nature of Greta and them both being the first to arrive within the twelve-year-old's room having practically run all the way there.

Yuri and Wolfram were out of breath, their eyes verging on wild as they glared around the yellow and lilac room, as if expecting some monstrous slip of clothing to jump out of the dark-wood furniture and attempt to ravish their cute and innocent daughter before their very eyes. Wolfram even had his right hand poised over his left hip, reaching for his sword which currently wasn't there.

Greta skipped right on past them and over to her huge arched wardrobe (that was actually bigger than the one Yuri and Wolfram shared) made especially for the Princess three years ago, with small white painted flowers decorating the doors. Yuri turned to Wolfram warily, at the same time Wolfram looked to him with concern and they both hurried in after their daughter, together.

Greta threw open her wardrobe fearlessly ahead of them, and reached for the dress hanging just inside the door.

"Ta da! What do you think?" She cheered with a grin that looked a lot like Yuri's, as she presented her chosen clothing for that night. Yuri and Wolfram released their breath as one when they saw the cute, and most importantly, age _appropriate_, knee-length, blue satin gown with a puffed skirt. No see-through material insight.

It was actually very pretty, Yuri decided.

"You're going to look beautiful, Greta." Wolfram approved with a quiet smile. Greta glowed with happiness at the compliment. Yuri grinned, while tapping heels on the stone floor approached them from behind.

"I'm so glad you like it, Your Majesty." Cecilie's red lips smiled seductively as she sashayed her way across the Princess' bedchamber. Yuri tried not to stare, knowing that Wolfram was watching him closely as his mother joined them by the open wardrobe. Yuri plastered the grin firmly on his face and nodded enthusiastically.

Greta bounced on her toes. "I'll show you what it looks like on!" She ran behind her folding screen and immediately begun changing ,while Cecilie clapped her crimson tipped hands with a giggle and hurried to join her, most likely to help Greta into the dress.

Yuri and Wolfram turned respectfully with their backs to their daughter despite the decorative Bearbee screen keeping her hidden. It worried Yuri, just a little, that the flimsy protection of wooden panels and hinges were enough to make Greta feel safe to take off her clothes in a room full of people. Yuri knew it was stupid to be so paranoid, but he couldn't help the protective pull in his gut that whispered for him to station guards at every door, and below her balcony at all times. He had seen the romance movies on Earth; he was confident he knew all the hotspots the sneaky, devious hero, come to steal his precious daughter away would hide!

Two loud knocks on the door startled Yuri, causing him to almost yank his new ring off, only then realising that he had been fiddling with it nervously. He dropped his hands and hoped against hope that it wasn't Gwendal come to fetch him and imprison him in his office already, as Wolfram called for the intruder to "Enter".

Dakoskos stumbled in with his arms laden with the water-proof wrapped gifts that Yuri had received on Earth, which Miko had promised to wrap and send along the portal Yuri had left open, momentarily, after he and his companions arrived at Shinou's Temple.

"Your Majesty! I, Lilith Latchie Nanatan Mikotan Dakoskos is here with His Majesty's Birthday -"

"Eh, it's alright Dakoskos. No need for formalities." Yuri laughed and waved for him to_ please stop_.

"Dakoskos." Wolfram stepped toward the bald solider with a commanding stance. Yuri watched; mystified as he always was when Wolfram acted most like a Prince. "Bring Yuri's gifts over here." He gestured over to Greta's bed.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Dakoskos wobbled his way towards Greta's queen-sized bed, dropping the small pile of Yuri's gifts onto the mattress with more care than was really necessary.

"I want to show you something, Mother" He called over his shoulder as he marched up to the deposited gifts. Dakoskos quickly bowed to Wolfram then Yuri and left, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Me?" Cecilie peered around the folding screen, her curiosity alight on her startled face. "Did His Majesty receive something cute?" She asked eagerly as she ran up to the bed, her heels thudding sharply on the thick peach, woolen carpet surrounding Greta's bed, which Yuri had insisted on in this room, the Royal Bedchamber and (even though it was rarely used, anymore) Wolfram's room. The stone floor was harsh on cold mornings and it was a miracle that Wolfram and he hadn't been seriously injured from the amount of times they'd fallen out of their bed already, head first. The addition was practical for comfort and safety, so Yuri had nagged Gwendal.

Greta was quiet behind the screen, but Yuri could hear the swish of fabric that confirmed that she was still dressing. The many layers of fabric the people in this world were expected to wear, was verging on ridiculous.

Yuri sensed danger when Wolfram sent a smug and (Yuri suspected was supposed to be a) flirtatious look at him when he stood beside the pile, before peering through the plastic coverings with a concentrated frown. It was only when Wolfram picked up the naughty silver box that the ball dropped, along with Yuri's stomach.

Oh no! The existence of see-through material on Earth should **never** be known to the Sexy ex-Queen! It was the beginning of the end!

"Eh! Wolfram?!" Yuri demanded, but Wolfram only smiled and winked. Yuri was determined not to be distracted. _"What are you doing?!"_ Too late, Wolfram had already torn into the tightly wrapped package and revealed the dreaded skimpy blue _thing_ to Cecilie's greedy green eyes with a flourish.

Cecilie squealed.

Yuri choked.

At the same time Greta jumped out from behind the screen with a huge smile and a proud sparkle in her eyes. "TA DA!" she announced her presence in beautiful blue satin and silk ribbons, and then immediately caught sight of Yuri's present. "What's that?" she asked curiously, her innocent brown eyes wide.

Yuri panicked and flew between Greta and the devil-made clothing, arms sprend-wide as if that would help, his face flooding with his humiliation.

"NOTHING!" he squeaked.

"Nothing for _young Ladies_ to be concerned with, _Greta_." Wolfram's 'Parent Voice' backed him up, thankfully. Greta gave them all a bewildered and slightly annoyed look (that she _clearly_ learnt from Wolfram) but seemed to dismiss it when she beamed back up at Yuri and did a theatrical twirl.

"So, what do you think?" she asked again, expectantly.

Yuri grinned, immensely proud. And relieved, of course, but for a different reason. "You look even more beautiful than I imagined. It's wonderful, Greta." She looked more like a young Lady then he felt comfortable with, actually. She was growing more and more beautiful every day. His problem was that she was **growing at all**.

It wasn't fair.

Greta blushed prettily and hugged Yuri's waist so tight it warmed Yuri to his core. His little girl was growing up. _Please, please don't let it happen_.

He could hear Wolfram and Cecilie whispering excitedly behind him, and he reluctantly turned his head to see them both with their identical golden halos bent over the devil's net and Yuri knew this didn't bode well, for everyone really, but _especially for him_.

Greta let go and Yuri looked down at her to share another heartwarming smile before he grudgingly let her go. She skipped back behind the Bearbee screen and begun changing again, this time on her own. Now his daughter was out of sight, Yuri determinedly stalked over to the scheming Fire Mazokus.

"...alright, do your worst, Mother. However, for mine and Yuri's wedding night I want something much more traditional." Wolfram finished sternly causing the Maoh's heart to stutter against his ribcage, before he saw Yuri's scowling face up close and blushed prettily. Did Yuri just hear that right? Unfortunately, Wolfram didn't look nearly as guilty as Yuri would have liked.

"Your Majesty! What beautiful gifts Miko-san gives! I really must meet this wise and fair Lady. We have so much to discuss!" Cecilie exclaimed at the sight of him, seeming completely flustered with her discovery.

Yuri broke into a cold sweat at the mere thought of Wolfram's mom and his own discussing such things. 'The beginning of the end,' Yuri's inner-voice confirmed gravely.

"Do I have permission from Your Majesty to borrow this lovely Earth _'laun-ger-ay'_ for a short time?" Cecilie questioned, pronouncing the new word slowly, with her large eyelashes fluttering and her smiling lips impossibly sweet.

"For how long?" Wolfram asked gruffly before Yuri could respond with a very reasonable, 'HELL NO!' Yuri gaped at him incredulously.

"Well, the royal dressmakers should still be in the castle for the final fitting of your and his Majesty's dress-uniforms later this afternoon, so I should be able to have the material examined before the Ball. Is tonight early enough, Wolfie?" Cecilie calculated quickly in her ex-'Maoh Serious Voice' that Yuri had rarely witnessed.

Wolfram blushed brighter. "Tonight is fine, Mother."

A wicked glint instantly entered Cecilie's eyes and Yuri could feel his face drain of blood at the way the Sexy ex-Queen eyed Wolfram and him, standing far _too close together_. How did that happen?! "Ooooh, Wolfram, have you **finally **made progress in your relationship with his Majesty?" Wolfram and Yuri chocked and Yuri felt faint, knowing without a doubt, that their guilty faces had revealed all. "OH! You must tell me **everything**! Wolfie, I'm so proud of you! I always said that you get your passion from me!"

"MOTHER!" Wolfram shouted in embarrassment while avoiding Yuri's eyes, not that Yuri could manage eye-contact anyway without the threatening darkness swallowing him up and catching him when he inevitably fell, and with his knees as weak as they felt right now, he was fully expecting it to happen at any moment.

When Greta came into Yuri's line of sight, she was dressed in her usual Royal outfit again and was peering around at all three of the adults' faces, her confusion apparent in her burning brown eyes. "What are you talking about?" She inquired in her childish voice. And Yuri's head shot up as his protective instincts flailed when, at the corner of his eye, he saw Cecilie open her ruby mouth with a flirtatious smirk, ready with a provocative answer.

"_Nothing_ that concerns a young Lady." Wolfram's sharp response cut across his Mother's already anticipated, _crude_ words in the same instant that Yuri had dived to cover Greta's ears.

An all too familiar scowl masked Greta's too cute face, and Yuri was now absolutely certain that this was going to be another long day.

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: Yuri's **_**second**_** Birthday celebration, Mazoku-style! And EVERYONE'S invited! I have a feeling _this_ is going to be a long one...**

_**There WILL be a full Lemon Scene in this story! Never fear. However, for the sake of the plot I won't tell you when. I **_**will**_** tell you though, that there will be plenty of pre-yaoi before hand to keep you wanting more. This story is all about Yuri coming to except himself, his sexuality and his attraction to Wolfram (what's this? Heard of this before? Shocking! Hahaha!) but maybe with a twist or two that'll please you. So, of course, there will be hurdles before the main event **_**and**_** one or two false starts, maybe, but Yuri shagging Wolfram is ultimately where I'm headed. So, never fear my fellow perverts. Never fear.**_


End file.
